The history of the American Indians

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THE

HISTORY

O F T H E

AMERICAN INDIANS.

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,3 H A 1 a v « =r

T H E

HISTORY

OF THE

AMERICAN INDIANS;

PARTICULARLY

Thofe Nations adjoining to the MISSISIPPI, EAST and
WEST FLORIDA, GEORGIA, SOUTH and
NORTH CAROLINA, and VIRGINIA:

N T A I N I N G

An ACCOUNT of their Origin, Language, Manners, Religious and
Civil Customs, Laws, Form of Government, Punishments, Conduct in
War and Domestic Life, their. Habits, Diet, Agriculture, Manu¬
factures, Diseases and Method of Cure, and other Particulars, fuffi-
cient to render it

A

COMPLETE INDIAN SYSTEM.

WITH

Observations on former Historians, the Condudt of our Colony
Governors, Superintendents, Missionaries, &c.

ALSO

AN APPENDIX,

CONTAINING

A Defcription of the Floridas, and the Missisippi Lands, with their Produc¬
tions —The Benefits of colonifing Georciana, and civilizing the Indians—
And the way to make all the Colonies more valuable to the Mother Country.

With a new Map of the Country referred to in the Hiftory.

By JAMES ADAIR, Efquire,

A Trader with the Indians, and Refident in their Country for Forty Years.

LONDON:

Printed for Edward and Charles Dilly, in the Poultry.
MDCCLXXV.

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1 JI M A

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T O

The Hon. Colonel George Craghan,
George Galphin, and Lachlan M^ilwray,

e s Q_U IRES.*

Gentlemen,

O you, with the greateft propriety the following

JL Iheets are addrefled. Your diftinguifhed abili¬
ties—your thorough acquaintance with the North Ame¬
rican Indians language, rites, and cuftoms—your long
application and fervices in the dangerous fphere of an
Indian life, and your fuccefsful management of the fa-
vage natives, are well known over all the continent of
America.

You often complained how the public had been
impofed upon, either by fictitious and fabulous, or very
fuperficial and conjectural accounts of the Indian na-

* The late Sir Wm. Johnfon, Baronet, was another of the Author’s
friends, and flood at the head of the MS. Dedication.

A

tions

DEDICATION*

tfons_and as often wifhed me to devote my leifure

hours to the drawing up an Indian fyftem. You can
witnefs, that what I now fend into the world, was
compofed more from a regard to your requeft, than any
forward defire of my own, The profpect of your pa¬
tronage infpired me to write, and it is no final] plea-
fure and honour to me, that fuch competent judges
of the feveral particulars now prefented to public view,,
exprefled themfelves with fo much- approbation of the
contents.

You well know the uprightnefs of my intentions as
to the information here given, and that truth hath been
my grand ftandard. I may have erred in the application
of the rites and cuftoms of the Indians to their origin
and defcent—and may have drawn fome conclufions,.
exceeding the given evidence—but candor will excufe
the language of integrity : and when the genuine prin¬
ciples, cuftoms, &c. of the Indians are known, it.
will be eafier afterwards for perfons of folid learning,
and free from fecular cares, to trace their origin, clear
up the remaining difficulties, and produce a more perfedt
hiftory.

Should my performance be in the leaft degree inftru-
mental to promote an accurate inveftigation and knowledge

of.

DEDICATION.

of the American Indians — their civilization—and the
happy fettlement of the fertile lands around them, I
fhall rejoice; and the public will be greatly obliged to
you, as your requeft incited to it; and to you I am allb
indebted for many interefting particulars, and valuable
obfervations.

I embrace this opportunity, of paying a public tefti-
mony of my gratitude, for your many favours to me.
Permit me alfo to celebrate your public fpirit —
your zealous and faithful fervice of your country —
your focial and domeftic virtues, &c. which have en¬
deared you to all your acquaintance, and to all who
have heard your names, and make you more illu-
ftrious, than can any high founding titles. All who know
you, will readily acquit me of fervility and flattery, in
this addrefs. Dedications founded on thefe motives, are
the difgrace of literature, and an infult to common fenfe.
There are too many inftances of this proftitution in
Great Britain, for it to be fuffered in America. Num¬
bers of high feated patrons are praifed for their divine
wifdom and godlike virtues, and yet the whole empire is
difeontented, and America in ftrong convulflons.

May you long enjoy your ufual calm and profperity !
that fo the widow, the fatherlefs, and the ftranger may
A 2 always

DEDI CATION.

always joyfully return (as in pad years) from your Hof-
pitable houfes-while this Dedreat.on Hands as a fmall
proof of that fincere attachment with which I am,

Gentlemen,

Your moft obedient,

Humble Servant,
JAMES ADAIR.

P R E-

PREFACE.

H E following hidory, and obfervations, are the produ&ion.

1 of one who hath been, chiefly engaged in an Indian life ever,
fince the year 1735 : and mod of the pages were written among,
our old friendly Chikkafah, with whom. I fird traded in the year
1744. The fubjedts are intereding, as well as amufing; but never
was a literary work begun and carried on with more diladvanrages-
The author was feparated by his fituation,. from the converfation.
of the learned, and from any libraries — Frequently interrupted
alfo by bufinefs, and obliged' to conceal his papers, through the
natural jealoufy of the natives ■, the traders letters of correfpond-
ence always excited their fufpicions, and often, gave offence.—Ano¬
ther difficulty I had to encounter, was the fecrecy and clofenefs of
the Indians as to their own affairs, and their prying difpofition
into thofe of others—fo that there is no poffibility of retirement
among them.

A view of the difadvantages of my fituation, made me reludant
to comply with the earned and repeated folicitations of many wor¬
thy friends, to give the public, an account of. the Indian nations
with whom I had long refided, was fo intimately con needed, and
of- whom fcareely any thing had yet been publifhed but romance,
and a mafs of fidlton. My friends at lad prevailed, and on peru-
fing the ffieets, they were pleafed to approve the contents, as con¬
veying true information,, and general entertainment! Having no
ambition to appear in the world as an author, and knowing that
my hidory differed effentially from all former publications of the
kind, I fird refolved to fupprefs my name 5 but my friends advifed
me to own the work, and thus it is tendered to the public,
in the prefent form.

The

PREFACE.

The performance, hath doubtlefs imperfections, humanum ijl
errare. Some readers may think, there is too much of what re¬
lates to myfelf, and of the adventures of fmall parties among the
Indians and traders. But minute circumftances are often of great
confequence, efpeoially in difeovering the defeent and genius of a
people—deferibing their manners and cuftoms—and giving proper
information to rulers at a diftance. I thought it better to be elteemed
prolix, than to omit any thing that might be ufeful on thefe points.
Some repetitions, which occur, were neceflary—The hiftory of the
feveral Indian nations being fo much intermixed with each other,
and their cuftoms fo nearly alike.

One great advantage my readers will here have ; I fat down to
draw the Indians on the fpot—had them many years (landing be¬
fore me,—and lived with them as a friend and brother. My inten¬
tions were pure when I wrote, truth hath been my ftandard, and I
have no finifter or mercenary views in publishing. With inexpref-
fible concern I read the feveral imperfeCt and fabulous accounts of
the Indians, already given to the world—Fidtion and conjecture
have no place in the following pages. The public may depend on
the fidelity of the author, and that his deferiptions are genuine,
though perhaps not fo polilhed and romantic as other Indian hifto-
ries and accounts, they may have feen.

My grand objects, were to give the Literati proper and good ma¬
terials for tracing the origin of the American Indians—and to in¬
cite the higher powers zealoufly to promote the bell interefts of the
Britilh colonies, and of the mother country. For whofe greatnefs
and happinefs, I have the moll ardent defires.

• The whole of the work is refpeCtully fubmitted to the candor
and judgment of the impartial Public.

CON-

CONTENTS.

Hiftory of the North American Indians, their cujloms, (Ac.

Qbfcrvations on their colour, Jhape, temper, and drefs.

Gbfervations on the origin and defcent of the Indians — p. 10

Gbfervations, and arguments, in proof of the American Indians being defended-
from the Jews.

Argument I. Their divifion into tribes- — —

II. Their worjhip of Jehovah — —

III. Their notions of a theocracy — —

IV. Their belief in the miniftration of angels —

V. Their language and dialebls — —

VI. Their manner of counting time — —

VII. Their prophets and high priefts —

VIII. Their fefivals, fafts, and religious rites —

IX. Their daily facrifice — —

X. Their ablutions and anointings — —

XI. Their laws of uncleannefs — —

XII. Their abftinence from unclean things — —

XIII. Their marriages, divorces » and punijhment of adultery

XIV. Their feveral punijhments — —

XV. Their cities of refuge — —

XVI. Their purifications, and ceremonies preparatory to war

XVII. Their ornaments — —

XVIII. Their manner of curing the fick ■— —■

XIX. Their burial of the dead — —

XX. Their mourning for their dead —- —■

XXI. Their raiftng feed to a deceafed brother —

XXII. Their choice of names adapted to their circumftantes and the

times — — — p. 191

XXIII. Their own traditions, the accounts of our Englijh writers, and
the teftimonies which the Spanijh and other authors have given,
concerning the primitive inhabitants of Peru and Mexico.

Page r

P- >5
p. 18
P-32
P- 35
P- 37
P- 74-
p. 8o-
P- 94
p. 115.
p. 120
p. I2J

130.

138

146

*58'

>59

169.

189

CONTENTS.

An Account of the Katabba, Cbecrake, Mujkogbe or Creeks, Cboktab, and
Cbikkafah Nations: with occafional reworks on their Laws, and the Con-
dull of our Governors, Superintendents, Mifftonaries, (Ac.

Account of the Katabba Nation, (Ac. — — P -223

Account of the Cheerake Nation, (Ac. — — p. 226

Account of the Mujkohge Nation, (Ac. — — p- 257

Account of the Cboktab Nation, (Ac. — — , p. 282

Account of the Cbikkafah Nation, (Ac. — — p- 352

General Obfervations on the North-American Indians -, difplaying their Love to
their Country—Their Martial Spirit—Their Caution in IVar—Method of
Fighting—Barbarity to their Captives—Inflames of their Fortitude and
Magnanimity in the view of Death — Their Reward of public Services —
The manner of Crowning their Warriors after ViHory—Their Games — Me¬
thod of Fijbing, and of Building—Their Utenfils and Manufallures—Conduit
in Domejlic Life—Their Laws, Form of Government, (Ac. (Ac. P -375

APPENDIX.

Containing a Defcription of the Floridas, and the Mifjifippi Lands, with their Pro-
dutlions—The Benefits of tolonifing Georgiana, and civilizing the Indians—And
the way to make all the Colonies more valuable to the Mother Country, p. 451

A HIS;

cat-

A

HISTORY

OF THE

NORTH-AMERICAN INDIANS,

THEIR CUSTOMS, &c.

Obfervations on the colour, fiape, temper , and drefs of
the Indians of America.

T HE Indians are of a copper or red-clay colour—and they de¬
light in every thing, which they imagine may promote and increafe
itaccordingly, they paint their faces with vermilion, as the bed:
and moft beautiful ingredient. If we confider the common laws of nature
and providence, we lhall not be furprized at this cuftom; for every thing
loves bed its own likenefs and .place in the creation, and is difpofed to
ridiqule its oppofite. If a deformed fon of burning Africa, was to paint the
devil, he would' not do it in black colours, nor delineate him with a (hagged
coarfe woolly head, nor with thick lips, a Ihort flat nofe, or clumfy feet,
like-thofe of a bear: his devil Would reprefent one of a different nation or
people. But was he to draw an agreeable- pifture,—according to the African
tafte, h^ would daub it all over with footy black. All the Indians are fo
ftrongly attached to, and prejudiced in favour of, their own colour, that
they, think as meanly of the whites, as we poflibly can do of them. The
Englifh traders among them, experience much of it, and are often very glad
to be allowed to pafs mufter with the Indian chieftains, as fellow-brethren
B of

2 On the colour of the Indians of America.

of the human fpecies. One inftance will fufficiently Ihcw in what flattering
glaffes they view themfelves.

Some time paft, a large body of the Englifh Indian traders, on their way
to the Cboktah country, were efcorted by a body of Creek and Choktah
warriors. The Creeks having a particular friendlhip for fome of the traders,,
who had treated them pretty liberally, took this opportunity to chide the
Choktahs, before the traders, in a fmart though friendly way, for not
allowing to the Englilh the name of human creaturesfor the general
name they give us in their moll favourable war-fpeeches , refemblcs that of
a contemptible, heterogeneous animal.

The hotter, or colder the climate is, where the Indians have long refided,.
the greater proportion have they either of the red, or white, colour. I took
particular notice of the Shawano Indians, as they were palling from the
northward, within fifty miles of the Chikkafah country, to that of the
Creeks; and, by comparing them with the Indians which I accompanied to
their camp, I obferved the Shawano to be much, fairer than the Chikkafah *;
though I am fatisfied, their endeavours to cultivate the copper colour,
were alike. Many incidents and obfervations lead me to believe, that the
Indian colour is not natural •, but that the external difference between them
and the whites, proceeds entirely from their cuftoms and method of livings
and not from any inherent fpring of nature; which will entirely overturn
Lord Karnes’s whole fyftem of colour, and feparate races of men.

That the Indian colour is merely accidental, or artificial, appears pretty
evident. Their own traditions record them to have come to their prefent
lands by the way of the weft, from a far diftant country, and where there
was no variegation of colour in human beings; and they are entirely
ignorant which was the firft or primitive colour. Befides, their rites,
cuftoms, &c. as we lhall prefently fee, prove them to be orientalifts : and,
as the difference of colour among the human fpecies, is one of the principal
caufes of feparation, ftrife, and bloodlhed, would it not greatly refledt on the
goodnefs and juftice of the Divine Being, ignominioufiy to brand numerous
tribes and their pofterity, with a colour odious and hateful in the fight and
opinion of thofe of a different colour. Some writers have contended, from

• S is not a note of plurality with the Indians j when I mention therefore either their na¬
tional, or proper names, that common error is avoided, which writers ignorant of their lan¬
guage conftantly commit.

the

On the colour of the Indians of America. 3

the diverfity of colour, that America was not peopled from any part of Afia,
or of the old world, but that the natives were a feparate creation. Of this
opinion, is Lord Kames, and which he labours to eftablifh in his late pub¬
lication, entitled. Sketches of the Hijlory of Man. But his reafoning on this
point, for a local creation, is contrary both to revelation, and fafts. His
chief argument, that “ there is not a Angle hair on the body of any American,
nor the leaft appearance of a beard,” is utterly deftitute of foundation, as
can be attefted by all who have had any communication with them — of this
more prefently.—Moreover, to form one creation of whites , a fecond creation
for the yellows, and a third for the blacks, is a weaknefs, of which infinite
wifdom is incapable. Its operations are plain, eafy, conftant, and perfect.
The variegation therefore of colours among the human race, depends upon
a fecond caufe. Lord Kames himfelf acknowledges, that “ the Spanifh in¬
habitants of Carthagena in South-America lofe their vigour and colour in a
few months.”

We are informed by the anatomical obfervations of our American phyfi-
cians, concerning the Indians, that they have difcerned a certain fine cowl, or
web, of a red gluey fubftance, clofe under the outer (kin, to which it reflects
the colour ; as the epidermis, or outer (kin, is alike clear in every different
creature. And'experience, which is the belt medium to difcover truth, gives
the true caufe why this corpus mucofum, or gluilh web, is red in the Indians,
and white in us •, the parching winds, and hot fun-beams, beating upon
their naked bodies, in their various gradations of life, necefiarily tarnifli
their (kins with the tawny red colour. Add to this, their conftant
anointing themfelves with bear’s oil, or greafe, mixt with a certain red root,
which, by a peculiar property, is able alone, in a few years time, to produce
the Indian colour in thole who are white born, and who have even advanced:
to maturity. Thefe metamorphofes I have often feen.

At the Shawano main camp *, I faw a Penfylvanian, a white man by
birth, and in profeflion a chriftian, who, by the inclemency of the fun,

* In the year 1747, I headed a company of the cheerful, brave Chikkafah, with the
eagles tails, to the camp of the Shawano Indians, to apprehend one Peter Shartee, (a
Frenchman) who, by his artful paintings, and the fupinc conduit of the Penfylvanian govern¬
ment, had decoyed a large body of the Shawano from the Englilh, to the French, intcreft.
But fearing the confequences, he went round an hundred miles, toward the Cheerake nation,
with his family, and the head warriors, and thereby evaded the danger.

4 On the colour and temper of the Indians of America.

and his endeavours of improving the red colour, was tarnilhed with as deep
an Indian hue, as any of the camp, though they had been in the woods
only the fpace of four years.

We may eafily conclude then, what a fixt change of colour, fuch a con-
ftant method of life .would produce : for the colour being once thoroughly
eltablilhed, nature would, a^ it were, forget hcrfelf, not to beget her own
likenefs. Befides, may we not fuppofe, that the imagination can imprefs the
animalculse, in the time of copulation, by its ftrong fubtile power, with at
lead fuch an external fimilitude,. as we fpeak of?—The facred oracles, and
chriftian regifters, as well as Indian traditions, fupport the fentiment; —
the colour of Jacob’s cattle refembled that of the peeled rods he placed be¬
fore them, in the time of conception. We have good authority of a Spanifli
lady, who conceived, and was delivered of a negro child, by means of a
black pidlure that hung on the wall, oppofite to the bed where Ihe lay. There
is a record among the Chikkafah Indians, that tells us of a white child with
flaxen hair, born in their country, long before any white people appeared in
that part of the world ■, which they aferibed to the immediate power of the
Deity imprefling her imagination in a dream. And the Philofophical Tranf-
aftions allure us of two white children having been born of black parents.
But waving all other arguments, the different method of living, connedled
with the difference of climates, and extraordinary anointings and paintings,
will effedt both outward and inward changes in the human race, all round
the globe : or, a different colour may be conveyed to the foetus by the
parents, through the channel of the fluids, without the leaft variation of the
original (lamina. For, though the laws of nature cannot be traced far,,
where there are various circumftances, and combinations of things, yet her
works are exquifitely conftant and regular, being thereto impelled by
unerring divine Wifdom.

As the American Indians are of a reddifh or copper colour,—fo in general
they are ftrong, well proportioned in body and limbs, furprifingly adtive
and nimble, and hardy in their own way of living.

They are ingenious, witty, cunning, and deceitful j very faithful indeed to
their own tribes, but privately dilhoneft, and mifehievous to the Europeans and
chriftians. Their being honed and harmlefs to each other, may be through
fear of refentment and reprifal—which is unavoidable in cafe of any injury.

2 They.

5

On the temper and f ape of the Indians of America.

They are very clofe, and retentive of their fecrets ; never forget injuries ;
revengeful of blood, to a degree of. didraftion. They are timorous, and,
confequently, cautious 5 very jealous of encroachments from their chriftiati
neighbours and, likewife, content with freedom, in every turn of fortune.
They are poffeffed of a ftrong comprehenfive judgment,—can form furprif-
ingly crafty fchemes, and conduft them with equal caution, filence, and
addrefs; they admit none but diftinguilhed warriors, and old beloved men,,
into their councils. They are (low, but very perfcvering in their under¬
takings—commonly temperate in eating, but exceflively immoderate in
drinking.—They often transform themfelves by liquor into the likenefs of
mad foaming bears. The women, in general, are of a mild, amiable, foft
difpofition : exceedingly modeft in their behaviour, and very feldom noify,
either in the Tingle, or married date.

The men are expert in the ufe of fire-arms,— in (hooting the bow,,— and
throwing the feathered dart, and tomohawk, into the flying enemy. They
refemble the lynx, with their (harp penetrating black eyes, and are exceed¬
ingly fwift of foots efpecially in a long chafe : they will dretch away, through
the rough woods, by the bare track, for two or three hundred miles, in purfuit
of a flying enemy, with the continued fpeed, and eagernefs, of a ffanclv
pack of blood hounds, till they (hed blood. When they have allayed this
their burning third, they return home, at their leifure, unlefs they chance-
to be purfued, as is fometimes the cafe ; whence the traders fay, “ that an:
Indian is never in a hurry, but when the devil is at his heels.”

It is remarkable, that there are no deformed Indians—however, they are-
generally weaker, and fmaller bodied, between the tropics, than in the higher
latitudes •, but not in an equal proportion : for, though the Chikkafah and
Choktah countries have not been long divided from each other, as appears-
by the frmilarity of their language, as well as other things, yet the Chikkafah
are exceedingly taller, and dronger bodied than the latter, though their
country is only two degrees farther north. Such a fmall difference of latitude,
in fo healthy a region, could not make fo wide a difference in the condi-
tution of their bodies. The former are a comely, pleafant looking peo¬
ple j their faces are tolerably round, contrary to the vifage of the others,,
-which inclines much to flatnefs, as is the cafe of mod of the other Indian*
Americans. The lips of the Indians, in general, are thin.

Their

6 On the Jhape of the Indians of America.

Their eyes are fmaU, lharp, and black; and their hair is lank, coarfc,
and darkifli. I never law any with curled hair, but one in the Choktah
country, where was alfo another with red hair j probably, they were a mix¬
ture of the French and Indians. Romancing travellers, and their credulous
copyills, report them to be Maries, and as perfons impuberes, and they ap¬
pear fo to ltrangers. But both fexes pluck all the hair off their bodies,
with a kind of tweezers, made formerly of clam-lhells, now of middle- fized
wire, in the lhape of a gun-worm ■, which, being twilled round a fmall Hick,
and the ends faftened therein, after being properly tempered, keeps its
form : holding this Indian razor between their fore-finger and thumb, they
deplume themfclves, after the manner of the Jcwifli novitiate priefts, and
profelytcs.—As the former could not otherwife be purified for the fundlion
of his Tacerdotal office s or the latter, be admitted to the benefit of reli¬
gious communion.

Their chief drefs is very fimple, like that of the patriarchal age of
choice, many of their old head-men wear a long wide frock, made of the
Ikins of wild beads, in honour of that antient cudom : It mud be neceffiry
that forces them to the pinching fandals for their feet. They feem quite eafy,
and indifferent, in every various feene of life, as if they were utterly diveded
of paflions, and the fenfe of feeling. Martial virtue, and not riches, is their
invariable dandard for preferment; for they neither edeem, nor defpilc any of
their people one jot more or lefs, on account of riches or drefs. They compare
both thefe, to paint on a warrior’s face •, becaufc it incites others to a fpirit
of martial benevolence for their country, and pleafes his own fancy, and
the eyes of fpeftators, for a little time, but is fwcated off, while he is per¬
forming his war-dances ; or is defaced, by the change of weather.

They formerly wore fliirts, made of dreft deer-fkins, for their dimmer
vifiting drefs: but their winter-hunting clothes were long and fltaggy,
made of the Ikins of panthers, bucks, bears, beavers, and otters; the
fielhy fides outward, fometimes doubled, and always foftened like velvet-
cloth, though they retained their fur and hair. The needles and thread they
ul'ed formerly, (and now at times) were fifh-bones, or the horns and bones of
drer, rubbed (harp, and deer’s finews, and a fort of hemp, that grows among
them fpontancoufly, in rich open lands. The women’s drefs confifls only in a

broad

7

On the drefs of the Indians of America.

broad foftened (kin, or feveral fmall (kins fewed together, which they wrap
and tye round their waift, reaching a little below their knees : in cold
weather, they wrap themfelves in the foftened (kins of buffalo calves, with
the wintery (hagged wool inward, never forgetting to anoint, and tie up
their hair, except in their time of mourning. The men wear, for orna¬
ment, and the conveniencies of hunting, thin deer-(kin boots, well
fmoked, that reach fo high up their thighs, as with their jackets to fecure
them from the brambles and braky thickets. They few them about
five inches from the edges, which are formed into toffels, to which they
fatten fawns trotters, and fmall pieces of tinkling metal, or wild turkey-
cock-fpurs. The beaus ufed to fatten the like to their war-pipes, with
the addition of a piece of an enemy’s fcalp with a tuft of long hair hang¬
ing down from the middle of the ftem, each of them painted red: and they
ftill obferve that old cuftom, only they choofe bell-buttons, to give a-,
greater found.

The young Indian men and women, through a fondnefs of their ancient
drefs, wrap a piece of cloth round them, that has a near refemblance to the
old Roman toga, or praetexta. Tis about a fathom fquare, bordered
feven or eight quarters deep, to make a fhining cavalier of the beau-
monde, and to keep out both the heat and cold. With this frantic appa¬
rel, the red heroes'fwaddle themfelves, when they are waddling, whooping,,
and prancing it away, in their fweltery town-houfes, or fuppofed fynhe-
dria, around the reputed holy fire. In a fweating condition, they will thus-
incommode themlelves, frequently, for a whole night, on the fame princi¬
ple of pride, that the grave Spaniard’s winter cloak mutt fweat him in fum-

Thcy have a great averfion to the wearing of breeches ; for to that cuf¬
tom, they affix the idea of helpleffnefs, and effeminacy. I know a Ger¬
man of thirty years (landing, chiefly among the Chikkafah Indians, who-
becaufe he kept up his breeches with a narrow piece of cloth that reached:
acrofs his (houlders, is diftinguilhed by them, as are all his countrymen, by
the defpicable appellative, Kiffi-Kiffi Taraklhe, or Tied Arfe .—They efteem
the Engliffi much more than the Germans, becaufe our limbs, they fay, are
lefs reftrained by our apparel from manly exercife, than theirs. The Indian'
women alfo difcreetly obferve, that, as all their men fit down to make
7 , - watery

8 On the drefs of t be Indians of America.

water, the ugly breeches would exceedingly incommode them; and that,
if they were° allowed to wear breeches, it would portend no good to their
country : however, they add, (hould they ever be fo unlucky, as to have
that pinching cuftom introduced among them, the Englilh breeches would
bed fuit their own female pofture on that occafion ; but that it would be
exceedingly troublefome eithef way. The men wear a flip of cloth, about
a quarter of an ell wide, and an ell and an half long, in the lieu of
breeches ; which they put between their legs, and tye round their
haunches, with a convenient broad bandage. The women. Cnee the time
we firft traded with them, wrap a fathom of the half breadth of Stroud
cloth round their waid, and tie it with a leathern belt, which is commonly
covered with brafs runners or buckles : but this fort of loole petticoat,
reaches only to their hams, in order to (hew their exquifitely fine propor¬
tioned limbs.

They make their Ihoes for common ufe, out of the (kins of the hear and
elk, well drefled and fmokedj to prevent hardening •, and thole for orna¬
ment, out of deer-lkins, done in the like manner: but they chiefly go
bare-footed, and always bare-headed. The men faden feveral different forts
of beautiful feathers, frequently in tufts •, or the wing of a red bird, or
the (kin of a fmall hawk, to a lock of hair on the crown of their heads.
And every different Indian nation when at war, trim their hair, after a
different manner, through contempt of each other t thus we can didin-
guiflt an enemy in the woods, fo far off as we can fee him.

The Indians flatten their heads, in divers forms : but it is chiefly the crown
of the head they deprefs, in order to beautify themfelves, as their wild fancy
terms it -, for they call us long beads , by way of contempt. The Choktah
Indians flatten their fore-heads, from the top of the head to the eye-brows
with a fmall bag of fand; which gives them a hideous appearance; as
the forehead naturally fhoots upward, according as it is flattened : thus,
the rifing of the nofe, indcad of being equididant from the begin¬
ning of the chin, to that of the hair, is, by their wild mechanifin, placed
a great deal nearer to the one, and farther from the other. The Indian
nations, round South-Carolina, and all the way to New Mexico, (pro¬
perly called Mechiko) to effeft this, fix the tender infant on a kind of
cradle, where his feet are tilted, above a foot higher than a horizontal po¬
ll tion.

9

On the drefs of the Indians of America.

iition,—his head bends back into a hole, made on purpofe to receive it,
where he bears the chief part of his weight on the crown of the head, upon
a fmall bag of fand, without being in the leaft able to move himfelf. The
lkull refembling a fine cartilaginous fubltance, in its infant ftate, is ca¬
pable of taking any impreflion. By this preflure, and their thus flatten¬
ing the crown of the head, they confequently make their heads thick,
and their faces broad: for, when the fmooth channel of nature is flopped
in one place, if a deftruftion of the whole fyflem doth not thereby en-
fue, it breaks out in a proportional redundancy, in another. May we not
to this cuftom, and as a neceflary effeft of this caufe, attribute their fickle,
wild, and cruel tempers ? efpecially, when we conned therewith, both a
falfe education, and great exercife to agitate their animal fpirits. When
the brain, in cooler people, is difturbed, it neither reafons, nor determines,
with proper judgment ? The Indians thus look on every thing around
them, through their own falfe medium; and vilify our heads, becaufe they
have given a wrong turn to their own.

Ob/crvalitns

[ JO ]

Obfervations on the origin and defcent of the Indians,

T HE very remote hiftory of all nations, is disfigured with fable, and
gives but little encouragement to diftant enquiry, and laborious re-
fearches. Much of the early hiftory and antiquities of nations is loft, and'
fome people have no records at all, and to this day are rude and uncivi¬
lized. Yet a knowledge of them is highly interefting, and would afford
amufement, and even inftruftion in the mod polifhed times, to the moft
polite. Every fcience has certain principles, as its bafis, from which it
reafons and concludes. Mathematical theorems, and logical propositions,
give clear demonftrations, and neceffary conclufions : and thus other fci-
ences. But, hiftory, and the origin of tribes and nations, have hitherto been,
covered with a great deal of obfcurity. Some antient hiftorians were igno¬
rant ; others prejudiced. Some fearchers into antiquities adopted the tra¬
ditional tales of their predeceffors: and others looking with contempt oi*
the origin of tribes and focieties, altogether exploded them, without invef-
tigation. My defign is, to examine, and if poffible, afcertain the genea¬
logy and defcent of the Indians, and to omit nothing that may in the leaf!:
contribute to furnifh the public with a full Indian System.

In tracing the origin of a people, where there are no records of any kind*
either written, or engraved, who rely folely on oral tradition for the fupport
of their antient ufages, and have loft great part of them—though the under¬
taking be difficult, yet where feveral particulars, and circumftances, ftrong
and clear, correfpond, they not only make room for conjecture, but cherilh
probability, and till better can be offered, muft be deemed condufive.

All the various nations of Indians, feem to be of one defcent; they call
a buffalo, in their various dialefts, by one and the fame name, “ 2'anafa
And there is a ftrong fimilarity of religious rites, and of civil and
martial cuftoms, among all the various American nations of Indians we
7 hava

On the origin and de/cent of the Indians, 1 1

have any knowledge of, on the extenfive continent; as will foon be
Ihewn.

Their language is copious, and very expreflive, for their narrow orbit of
ideas, and full of rhetorical tropes and figures, like the orientalifts. In
early times, when languages were not fo copious, rhetoric was invented to
fupply that defeft: and, what barrennefs then forced them to, cuftom now
continues as an ornament.

Formerly, at a public meeting of the head-men, and chief orators, of
the Choktah nation, I heard one of their eloquent fpeakers deliver a very
pathetic, elaborate, allegorical, tragic oration, in the high praife, and for
the great lofs, of their great, judicious war-chieftain, Sbu-las bum majh ♦
ta-be, our daring, brave friend, red Jhoes. The orator compared him to
the fun, that enlightens and enlivens the whole fyftem of created beings:
and having carried the metaphor to a confiderable length, he expatiated on
the variety of evils, that necefiarily refult from the difappearance and ab-
fence of the fun j and, with a great deal of judgment, and propriety of
expreffion, he concluded his oration with the fame trope, with which he
began.

They often change the fenfe of words into a different fignification from
the natural, exaftly after the manner alfo of the orientalifts. Even, their
common fpeech is full of it; like the prophetic writings, and the book of
Job, their orations are concife, ftrong, and full of fire ; which fuf-
ficiently confutes the wild notion which fome have efpoufed of the North
American Indians being Prte-Adamites, or a feparate race of men,
created for that continent What ftronger circumftantial proofs can
be expefted, than that they, being disjoined from the reft of the world,
time immemorial, and deftitute alfo of the ufe of letters, fhould have,
and ftill retain the ancient ftandard of fpeech, conveyed down by oral
tradition from father to fon, to; the prefent generation ? Befides, their
perfons, cuftoms, &c. are not Angular from the reft of the world; which,
probably, they would. Were they not defeended from one and the fame
common head. Their notions of things are like ours, and tiieir organical
ftrudture is the fame. In them, the foul governs the body, according to the
common laws of God in the creation of Adam. God employed fix
days, in creating the heavens, this earth, and the innumerable fpecies
C 2 of

j 2 On the origin and defcent of the Indiant.

of creatures, wherewith it is fo amply furnifhed. The works of a being,
infinitely perfeft, muft entirely anfwer the defign of them : hence there
could be no necefiity for a fecond creation ; or God’s creating many pairs
of the human race differing from each other, and fitted for different cli¬
mates : becaufe, that implies' imperfeftio.n, in the grand fcheme, or a want
of power, in the execution of it—Had there been a prior, or later formation
of any new clafs of creatures, they muft materially differ from thofe of the
fix days work •, for it is inconfiftent with divine wifdom to make a vain,
or unneceffary repetition of the fame aft. But the American Indians nei¬
ther vary from the reft of mankind, in their internal conftruftion, nor ex¬
ternal appearance, except in colour; which, as hath been (hewn, is either
entirely accidental, or artificial. As the Mofaic account declares a comple¬
tion of the manifeftations of God’s infinite wifdom and power in creation,
within that fpace of time* it follows, that the Indians have lineally defcended
from Adam, the firft, and the great parent of all the human fpecies..

Both the Chikkafah and Choktah Indians, call a deceitful perfon, Seente y
a fnake : and they frequently fay, they have not Secntt Soolijh, the fnake’s
tongue; the meaning of which, is very analogous to «n, a name the He¬
brews gave to a deceitful perfon; which probably proceeded from a tra¬
ditional knowledge of Eve’s being beguiled by the tempter, in that fhape;
for the Indians never affix any bad idea to the prefent reptile fraternity,
except that of poifonous teeth: and they never ufe any fuch metaphor,
as that of a fnake’s teeth.

Some haye fuppofed the Americans to be defcended from the Cbinefe:
but neither their religion, laws, cuftoms, &c., agree in the leaft with
thofe of the Chinefe: which fufficiently proves, they are not of that
line. Befides, as our beft (hips now are almoft half a year in failing
to China, or from thence to Europe •, it is very unlikely they fhould
attempt fuch dangerous difcoveries, in early time, with their (fuppofed)
Email- veffels, againft rapid currents, and in dark and fickly monfoons;
efpecially, as it is very probable they were unacquainted with the ufe
of the load-done to direft their courfe. China is above eight thoufand
miles diftant from the American continent, which is twice as far as acrofs
the Atlantic ocean.—And, we are not informed by any antient writer,
of their maritime (kill, or fo much as any inclination that way, befides
7 fmall:

On (t( origin W dejient of the Indians. *3

fmjll Mtafting voyages.—The winds blow likewif?, with little variation,
from call to weft, within the latitudes of thirty and odd, north and fouth,
and therefore they could not drive them on the American coaft, it lying di-
redtly contrary to fuch a cowrie.

Neither could perfons fail to America, from the north, by the way of
Tartary, or ancient Scythia; that, from its Gtuation, never was, or can
be, a maritime power, and it is utterly imprafticable for any to come to
America, by fea, from that quarter. Befides, the remaining traces of their
religious ceremonies, and civil and martial cuftoms, are quite oppofite to
the like veftiges of the old Scythians.

Nor, even in the moderate northern climates, is to be feen the leaft
veftige of any ancient (lately buildings, or of any thick fettlements, as are
faid to remain in the lefs healthy regions of Peru and Mexico. Several of'
the Indian nations allure us they crofted the Miflifippi, before they made
their prefent northern fettlements ■, which, connected with the former
arguments, will fufficiently explode that weak opinion, of the American
Aborigines being lineally defeended from the Tartars, or ancient Scy¬
thians.

It is a very difficult thing to diveft ourfelves, not to fay,, other perfons,
of prejudices and favourite opinions; and I expedt to be cenfured by fome,
for oppofing commonly received fentiments, or for meddling with a difpute
agitated among the learned ever fince the firft difeovery of America. But,
Truth is my objedt: and I hope to offer fome things, which, if they do
not fully folve the problem, may lead the way, and enable others, poffef-
fing ftronger judgment, more learning, and more lcifure, to accomplilh it.
As I before fuggefted, where we have not the light of hiftory, or records,
to guide us through the dark maze of antiquity, we muft endeavour to
find it out by probable arguments •, and in fuch fubjedts of enquiry, where-
no material objedtions can be raifed againft probability, it is ftrongly con-
clufive of the truth, and nearly gives the thing fought for.

From the moll exadt obfervations I could make in the long time I
traded among the Indian Americans, I was forced to believe them lineally
defeended from the Ifraelites, either while they were a maritime power,

m

14 On the origin and defcen't of the Indians.

or foon after the general captivity •, the latter however is the mod pro-’
bable. This defcent, I (hall endeavour to prove from their religious rites,
civil and martial cuftoms, their marriages, funeral ceremonies, manners,
language, traditions, and a variety of particulars.—Which will at the fame
time make the reader thoroughly acquainted with nations, of which it may
be faid to this day, very little have been known.

Olfervations ,

[ i5 ]

Obfervations , and arguments, in proof of the American
Indians being defended from the Jews.

A Number of particulars prefent themfelves in favour of a Jewilh defcent.

But to form a true judgment, and draw a folid conclufion, the fol¬
lowing arguments muft not be partially feparated. Let them be diftincUy
confidered—then unite them together, and view their force colledtively.

ARGUMENT I.

As the Ifraelites were divided into Tribes, and had chiefs over them, fo
the Indians divide themfelves: each tribe forms a little community within
the nation — And as the nation hath its particular fymbol, fo hath each tribe
the badge from which it is denominated. The fachem of each tribe, is a
neceffary party in conveyances and treaties, to which he affixes the mark of
his tribe, as a corporation with us doth their public feal *.—If we go from
nation to nation among them, we ffiall not find one, who doth not lineally
diftinguiffi himfelf by his refpedtive family. The genealogical names which
they affume, are derived, either from the names of thofe animals, whereof
the cherubim are faid in revelation, to be compounded; or from fuch crea¬
tures as are moft familiar to them. They have the families of the eagle v
farther, tyger, and buffalo ; the family of the bear , deer , racoon , tortoife ,
fitake , fijh •, and, likewife, of the wind. The laft, if not derived from the
appearance of the divine glory, as exprefied by the prophet Ezekiel, may

* Many of the ancient heathens followed the Jewilh cutlom of dividing themfelves into
tribes, or families. The city of Athens was divided into ten parts, or tribes! and
which the Greeks called Plmle, a tribe. They named each of the heads that prefided over
them, Archegos, Archiphnlogos, fee. And writers inform us, that the Eaft lndian pagans
have to this day tribes, or calls; and that each call chufes a head to maintain its privileges,
to promote a drift obfervance of their laws, and to take care that every thing be managed
with proper order. The ancient heathens mimicked a great deal of the Jewilh ceremonial

be-

16 On the defeent of the American Indians from the Jews.

be of Tyrian extraflion. We are told in the fragment of Sanchoniathon,
that the Tyrians worlhipped fire, and the aerial wind, as gods; and that
Ufous, the fon of Hypfouranias, built a facred pillar to each of them: fo
that, if it is not of Hraelitilh extraflion, it may be derived from the Tyrians
their neighbours—as may, likewife, the appellative name otfijh-, efpecially,
as the Indians, fotoerr rites, Invoke the eagle, and the fifh, when they are
curing their fick. The Tyrians were the people, in early times, who, above
all others, enriched themfelves in the natural element of the Jfilh.

The Indians, however, bear no religious tefpefl to the animals frotn
which they derive the names of their tribes, but Will kill any of the fpecies,
when opportunity ferves. The wolf indeed, feveral of them do not care to
meddle with, believing it unlucky to kill them ; which is the foie reafon that
few of the Indians fhoot at that creature, through a notion of fpoiling their
guns. Confidering the proximity of Tyre to Egypt, probably this might
be a cuftom of Egyptian extraflion; though, at the fame tirne, they are fo
far from efteeming it a deity, they reckon it the moll abominable quadruped
of the whole Creation.

There is no tribe, or individual, among them, however, called by the
name opojfum *, which is with the Cheerake ftiled feequa ; and with the
Chikkafah and Chokfah Indians, Jhookka, fynonymous with that of a hog.
This may be more material than at firft appears, as our natural hiftories tell
us, that the opofium is common in other parts of the world. Several of
the old Indians allure us, they formerly reckoned it as filthy uneatable an
animal, as a hog; although they confefs, and we know by long obfervation,
that, from the time our traders fettled among them, they are every year
more corrupt in their morals; not only in this inftance of eating an impure
animal, but in many other religious cuftoms of their forefathers.

When wc confider the various revolutions thefe unlettered favages are
likely to have undergone, among themfelves, through a long-forgotten
meafure of time ■, and that, probably, they have been above twenty centu¬
ries, without the ufe of letters to convey down their traditions, it cannot
be reafonably expefled they fhould Hill retain the identical names of

* A creature that hath a head like a hog, and a tail like a rat.

their

7 'heir divifion into tribes and families. 17

their primo-genial tribes. Their main cuftoms correfponding with thofe
of the Ifraelites, fufficiently clears the fubjeft. Befules, as hath been
hinted, they call fome of their tribes by the names of the cherubimical
figures, that were carried on the four principal ftandards of Ifrael.

I have obferved with much inward fatisfaftion, the community of goods
that prevailed among them, after the patriarchal manner, and that of the
primitive chriftians 5 efpecially with thofe of their own tribe. Though
they are become exceedingly corrupt, in moft of their ancient com¬
mendable qualities, yet they are fo hofpitable, kind-hearted, and free,
that they would fhare with thofe of their own tribe, the laft part of
their provifions, even to a Angle ear of corn ; and to others, if they called
when they were eating-, for they have no ftated meal-time. An open gene¬
rous temper is a ftanding virtue among them ; to be narrow-hearted, efpe¬
cially to thofe in want, or to any of their own family, is accounted a great
crime, and to refleft fcandal on the reft of the tribe. Such wretched mifers
they brand with bad characters, and wi(h them the fate of Prometheus, to
have an eagle or vulture fattened to their liver : or of Tantalus, flarving in
the midft of plenty, without being able to ufe it. The Cheerake Indians
have a pointed proverbial expreflion, to the fame effeCt —Sinnawah m wora\
“ The great hawk is at home.” However, it is a very rare thing to find
any of them of a narrow temper: and though they do not keep one promif-
cuous common ftock, yet it is to the very fame effedt s for every one has his
own family, or tribe: and, when one of them is fpeaking, either of the
individuals, or habitations, of any of his tribe, he fays, “ He is of my
houfe-,” or, “ It is my houfe.” Thus, when King David prayed that the
divine wrath might only fall on his houfe, he might mean the tribe of
Judah, as well as his own particular family, exclufive of the aggregate body
of Ifrael.

When the Indians are travelling in their own country, they enquire
for a houfe of their own tribe -, and if there be any, they go to it, and are
kindly received, though they never faw the perfons before—they eat, drink,
and regale themfelves, with as much freedom, as at their own tables •, which
■is the folid ground covered with a bear-fkin. It is their ufual cuftom to
carry nothing along with them in their journies but a looking-glafs, and red
paint, hung to their back—their gun and Ihot pouch—or bow and quiver
D full

18 On the defctnt of the American Indians from the Jews.

full of barbed arrows ; and, frequently, both gun and bow : for as they are
generally in a date of war againft each other, they are obliged, as foon as
able, to carry thofe arms of defence. Every town has a ftate-houfe, or
fynedrion, as the Jewilh fanhedrim, where, almoft every night, the head men
convene about public bufinefs ; or the town’s-people to feaft, fing, dance,
and rejoice, in the divine prefence, as will fully be defcribed hereafter. And
if a dranger calls there, he is treated with the greateft civility and hearty
kindnefs—he is fure to find plenty of their Ample home fare, and a large
cane-bed covered with the foftened (kins of bears, or buffaloes, to deep on.
But, when his lineage is known to the people, (by a dated cuftom, they
are flow in greeting one another) his relation, if he has any there, ad-
drefles him in a familiar way, invites him home, and treats him as his kinl-
man.

When a warrior dies a natural death, (which feldom happens) the war-
drums, mufical inftruments, and all other kinds of diverfion, are laid
afide for the fpace of three days and nights. In this time of mourning
for the dead, I have known fotne of the frolickfome young fparks to
afk the name of the deceafed perfon’s tribe; and once, being told it was
a racoon , (the genealogical name of the family) one of them fcoffingly
replied, “ then let us away to another town, and cheer ourfelves with thofe
who have no reafon to weep; for why lhould we make our hearts weigh
heavy for an ugly, dead racoon ?”

But notwithftanding they are commonly negligent of any other tribe but
their own, they regard their own particular lineal defeent, in as drift a
manner as did the Hebrew nation.

ARGUMENT II.

By a drift, permanent, divine precept, the Hebrew nation were ordered
to worthip at Jerufalem, Jehovah the true and living God, and who by the
Indians is Ailed Tohe-wah-, which the feventy-two interpreters, either from
ignorance or fuperflition, have tranflated Adonai ; and is the very fame as the
Greek Kurios, fignifying Sir, Lord, or Mader; which is commonly applied
to earthly potentates, without the lead fignifkation of, or relation to, that
mod great and awful name, which deferibes the divine effence, who naturally

and

*tbdr notions of a Deity corrcjpond. 19

and necefljrily exifts of himfelf, without beginning or end. The ancient
heathens, it is well known, worlhipped a plurality of gods—Gods whicli
they formed to themfelves, according to their own liking, as various as the
countries they inhabited, and as numerous, with fome, as the days of the year.
But thefe Indian Americans pay their religious devoir to Loak-IJhlohoollo-Aba,
« the great, beneficent, fupreme, holy lpirit of fire,” who refides (as they
think) above the clouds, and on earth alfo with unpolluted people. He is
with them the foie author of warmth, light, and of all animal and vegetable
life. They do not pay the lead; perceivable adoration to any images, or to
dead perfons; neither to the celeftial luminaries, nor evil fpirits, nor any
created being whatfoever. They are utter ftrangers to all the geftures
pradtifed by the pagans in their religious rites. They kifs no idols; nor, if
they were placed out of their reach, would they kifs their hands, in token of
reverence and a willing obedience.

The ceremonies of the Indians in their religious worfhip, are more after
the Mofaic inftitution, than of pagan imitation: which could not be, if the
majority of the old natives were of heathenilh defcent; for all bigots and
enthufiafts will fight to death for the very lhadow of their fuperflitious wor-
Ihip, when they have even loft all the fubftance. There yet remain fo many
marks, as to enable us to trace the Hebrew extraftion and rites, through all
the various nations of Indians j and we may with a great deal of probability
conclude, that, if any heathens accompanied them to the American world,
or were fettled in it before them, they became profelytes of juftice, and
their pagan rites and cuftoms were fwallowed up in the Jewilh.

To illuftrate the general fubjeft, I lhall give the Indian opinion of fome
of the heathen gods, contrafted with that of the pagan.

The American Indians do not believe the Sun to be any bigger than it
appears to the naked eye. ' Converting with the Chikkafah archi-magus, of
high-prieft, about that luminary, he told me, “ it might poflibly be as broad
and round as his winter-houfe; but he thought it could not well exceed it.”
We cannot be furprized at the ftupidity of the Americans in 'this refpeft,
when we confider the grofs ignorance which now prevails among the general
part of the Jews, not only of the whole fyftem of nature, but of the elfential
meaning of their own religious ceremonies, received from the Divine Majefty.

D a —And

20 On the defcent of tie American Indians from the Jews.

—And aHb when we refleft, that the very learned, and mod polite of the an¬
cient Romans, believed (not by any new-invented mythology of their own)
that the fun was drawn round the earth in a chariot. Their philofcphic fy-
ftem was not very diffimilar to that of the wild Americans ; for Cicero tells,
us, Epicurus thought the fun to be lefs than it appeared to the eye. And
Lucretius lays, Tanti Hus ilk /»/, “ a diminutive thing.” And, if the Ifrael-
ites had not at one time thought the fun a portable god, they would noa
have thought of a chariot for it. This they derived from the neighbouring
heathen; for we are told, that they had an houfe of the fun, where they
danced in honour of him, in circuits, and had confecrated fpherical figures - T
and that they, likewife, built a temple to it; for “ they purified and fanfti -
fied themfelves in the gardens, behind the houfe, or temple of Ach3d.” In
Jfa. xvii. 8, we find they had fun-images , which the Hebrews called chum-
man'rm, made to reprefent the fun, or for the honour and worlhip of it: and
the Egyptians met yearly to worlhip in the temple of Beth-Shemelh, a houfe
dedicated to the fun. Moll part of the old heathens adored all the celeftial
orbs, efpecially the fun; probably they firft imagined its enlivening rays im»
mediately ilfued from the holy fire, light, and fpirit, who either refided in,
or was the identical fun. That idolatrous ceremony of the Jews, Jofiah
utterly abolilhed about 640 years before our chriftian asra. The facred text
lays, “ He took away the horfes, which the kings of Judah had given to
the fun, and lie burned the chariots of the fun with fire.” At Rhodes, a
neighbouring ifland to Judaea, they confecrated chariots to the fun, on ac¬
count of his glorious fplendour and benign qualities. Macrobius tells us,
that the Afiyrians worlhipped Adad, or Achad, an idol of the fun ■, and
Strabo acquaints us, the Arabians paid divine homage to the fun, &c. But
the Indian Americans pay only a civil regard to the fun: and the more in¬
telligent fort of them believe, that all the luminaries of the heavens are
moved by the ftrong fixt laws of the great Author of nature.

In 2 Kings xvii. 30, we read that the men of Babylon built Succoth-Bs-
noth, “ tents for young women ;” having confecrated a temple to Venus,
they fixed tents round it, where young women proftituted themfelves in ho¬
nour of the goddefs. Herodotus, and other authors, are alfo fufficient
witnelfes on this point. Now, were the Amercains originally heathens,,
or not of Il'rael, when they wandered there from captivity, in queft of
7. liberty*

T/jetr notions of a Deity dijjimilar to the heathens. 2 i

liberty, or on any other accidental account, that vicious precedent was fo
well calculated for America, where every place was a thick arbour, it is very
improbable they (hould have difcontinued it: But they are the very reverfe.
To commit fuch afls of pollution, while they are performing any of their reli¬
gious ceremonies, is deemed fo provoking an impiety, as to occafion even
the fuppofed finner to be excluded from all religious communion with the
reft of the people. Or even was a man known to have gone in to his own
wife, during the time of their fallings, purifications, &c. he would alfo be
feparated from them. There is this wide difference between the impure and
obfcene religious ceremonies of the ancient heathens, and the yet penal, and
llrifl purity of the natives of America.

The heathens chofe fuch gods, as were raoft fuitable to their inclinations*
and the fituation of their country. The warlike Greeks and Romans wor-
Ihipped Mars the god of war ; and the favage and more bloody Scythians
deified the Sword. The neighbouring heathens round Judaea, each built a
temple to the fuppofed god that prefided over their land. Rimmon, was
the Syrian god of pomegranates: and the Philiftines, likewife, eretfted a
temple to Dagon, who had firft taught them the ufe of wheat •, which the
Greeks and Romans changed into Ceres, the goddefs of corn, from the
Hebrew, Geres, which fignifies grain. But the red Americans firmly be¬
lieve, that their war-captains, and their reputed prophets, gain fuccefs over
their enemies, and bring on feafonable rains, by the immediate reflection
of the divine fire, co-operating with them.

We are informed by Cicero, that the maritime Sidonians adored fifes
and by the fragment of Sanchoniathon, that the Tyrians worlhipped the
element of fire, and the .trial wind, as gods:—probably having forgotten
that the firft and laft names of the three celeftial cherubic emblems, only
typified the deity. Ancient hiftory informs us, that Zoroafter, who lived
An. M. 3480, made light the emblem of good, and darknefs the fymbol
of evil—he taught an abhorrence of images, and inftructed his pupils to-
worlhip God, under the figurative likenefs of fire: but he afferted two con¬
trary original principles; the one of good, and the other of evil. He allowed
no temples, but enjoined facrificing in the open air, and on the top of an.
hill. The ancient Perfians kept up their reputed holy fire, without fuffering
it to be extinguilhed; which their pretended fucceffors obferve with the

ftridelk

22 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews .

drifted devotion, and affirm it has been burning, without the lead inter-
miflion, feveral thoufand years. But the Indian Americans are fo far from
the idolatry of the Sidonians, that they edeem fifh only as they are ufeful to
the fupport of human life though one of their tribes is called the fijh:

_they are fo far from paying any religious worlhip to the aerial wind,

like the Tyrians, that they often call the bleak north-wind, explicativcly,
very evil, and accurfed; which they probably, would not fay, if they de¬
rived the great edeem they now have for the divine fire, from the aforefaid
idolatrous nations: neither would they wilfully extinguifh their old fire,
before the annual facrifice is offered up, if, like the former heathens, they
paid religious worfhip to the elementary fire; for no fociety of people would
kill their own gods, unlefs the papids, who go farther, even to eat him.
The Indians edeem the old year’s fire, as a mod dangerous pollution, re¬
garding only the fuppofed holy fire, which the archi-raagus annually renews
for the people.

They pay no religious worfhip to docks, or dones, after the manner of
the old eadern pagans; neither do they worfhip any kind of images what-
foever. And it deferves our notice, in a very particular manner, to invali¬
date the idle dreams of the jefuitical fry of South-America, that none of
all the various nations, from Hudfon’s Bay to the Miffifippi, has ever
been known, by our trading people, to attempt to make any image of the
great Divine Being, whom they worfhip. This is confonant to the Jewifh
obfervance of the fecond commandment, and direftly contrary to the ttfage
of all the ancient heathen world, who made corporeal reprefentations of their
deities—and their conduft, is a reproach to many reputed chridian temples,
which are littered round with a crowd of ridiculous figures to reprefent
God, fpurious angels, pretended faints, and notable villains.

The facred penmen, and prophane writers, allure us that the ancient hea¬
thens had lafeivious gods, particularly nsbSD, 2 Chron. xv. 16. which was the
abominable Priapus. But I never heard that any of our North-American In¬
dians had images of any kind. There is a carved human datue of wood, to
which, however, they pay no religious homage : It belongs to the head war-
town of the upper Mufkohge country, and feems to have been originally de-
figned to perpetuate the memory of fome didinguifhed hero, who deferved
well of his country; for, when their cujfeena , or bitter, black drink is about to
7 be

‘Their averfion to images . 23

be drank in the fynedrion, they frequently, on common occafr-n-, will bring
it there, and honour it with the firft conch-lhell-full, by the hand of the chief
religious attendant: and then they return it to its former place. It is ob-
1'ervable, that the fame beloved waiter, or holy attendant, and his co-adju¬
tant, equally obferve the fame ceremony to every perfon of reputed merit,
in that quadrangular place. When 1 pad that way, circumftances did not
allow me to view this fingular figure 5 but I am allured by feveral of the
traders, who have frequently feen it, that tire carving is mode ft, and very
neatly finilhed, not unworthy of a modern civilized artift. As no body of
people we are acquainted with, have, in general, fo great a fhare of ftrong
natural parts as thofe favages, we may with a great deal of probability fup-
pofe, that their tradition of the fecond commandment, prevented them from
having one, not to fay the fame plentiful variety of images, or idols, as
have the popilh countries.

Notwithftanding they are all degenerating apace, on account of their
great intercourfe with foreigners, and other concurring caufes ; I well
remember, that, in the year 1746, one of the upper towns of the aforefaid
Mulkohge, was fo exceedingly exafperated again!! fome of our Chikkafah
traders, for having, when in their cups, forcibly viewed the nakednefs of
one of their women, (who was reputed to be an hermaphrodite) that they
were on the point of putting them to death, according to one of their old
laws again!! crimes of that kind.—But feveral of us, affifted by fome of the
Koofah town, refcued them from their jul! demerit. Connedling together
thefe particulars, we can fcarccly defire a llronger proof, that they have not
been idolaters, fince they firft came to America •, much lefs, that they
eredled, and worfhipped any fuch lafcivious and obfcene idols, as the hea¬
thens above recited.

The Sidonians and Philiftines worfhipped Alhtaroth, in the figure of the
celejlial luminaries-, or, according to others, in the form of a Jheep: but the
Americans pay the former,' only, a civil regard, becaufe of the beneficial
influence with which, the deity hath impreffed them. And they reckon
Jheep as defpicable and helplefs, and apply the name to perfons in that pre¬
dicament, although a ram was the animal emblem of power, with the an¬
cient eaftern heathens. The Indians fomermes call a natty fellow, Chockpbe

kujjeema.

On tie defcent of the American Indians from the 'Jews.

kujfoema, « a (linking lheep," and “ a goat." And yet a goat was one of
the Egyptian deities •, as likewife were all the creatures that bore wool •, on
which account, the (acred writers frequently term idols, “ the hairy." The
defpicablc idea which the Indians affix to the fpecies, (hews they neither ufe
it as a divine fymbol, nor have a defire of being named Dorcas, which,
with the Hebrews, is a proper name, expreflive of a wild (he goat. I (lull
fubjoin here, with regard to Affitaroth, or Aftarte, that though the ancients
believed their deities to be immortal, yet they made to themfelvcs both male
and female gods, and, by that means, AQarte, and others, are of the femi¬
nine gender. Trifmegiftus too, and the Platonics, affirmed there was deus
mafculo fxmineus-, though different (exes were needful for the procreation
of human beings.

Indead of confulting fuch as the heathen oracles—or theTeraphim — the
Dii Penates—or Dii Lares, of the ancients, concerning future contingencies,
the Indians only pretend to divine from their dreams ■, which may proceed
from the tradition they dill retain of the knowledge their anccllors obtained
from heaven, in vifions of the night. Job xxxiii. “ God fpcaketh once, yea
twice, yet man pcrceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vifion of the night,
when deep deep (alleth upon men, in (lumberings upon the bed, then he
openeth the ears of men, and fealeth their indruflion.” When we confidcr
how well docked with gods, all the neighbouring nations of Judxa were j
efpecially the maritime powers, fuch as Tyre and Sidon, Carthage and
Egypt, which continually brought home foreign gods, and entered them into
their own Palladia ■, and that thefe Americans are utterly ignorant both of the
gods and their worlhip, it proves, with fufficient evidence, that the gentle¬
men, who trace them from either of thofe dates, only perplex themfelvcs
in wild theory, without entering into the merits of the quedion.

As the bull was the fird terredrial cherubic emblem , denoting fire, the an¬
cient Egyptians, in length of time, worffiipped Apis, Scrapis, or Ofiris,
under the form of an ox ; but, when he grew old, they drowned him, and
lamented his death in a mourning habit j which occafioned a philofopher
thus to jell them, Si Dii funs , cur f'angitis ? Si morlui, cur adoratisf “ If
they be gods, why do you weep for them ? And, if they are dead, why do
you worlhip them ?" A bull, ox, cow, or calf, was the favourite deity of

the

They pay no religious veneration to the dead. t$

the ancient idolaters. Even when Yohewah was conducing Ifrael in the
wildernefs, Aaron was forced to allow them a golden calf, according to the
ufage of the Egyptians : and at the defedtion of the ten tribes, they wor-
(hipped before the emblematical images of two calves, through the policy
of Jeroboam. The Troglodites ufed to ftrangle their aged, with a cow’s
tail: and fome of the Eaft-Indians are faid to fancy they (hall be happy, by
holding a cow’s tail in their hand when dying: others imagine the Ganges
to wadi away all their crimes and pollution. The Indian Americans, on the
contrary, though they derive the name of cattle from part of the divine
effential name, (as (hall be elfewhere obferved) and ufe the name of a
buffalo as a war appellative, and the name of a tribe •, yet their regard to
them, centres only in their ufefulnefs for the fupport of human life : and
they believe they can perform their religious ablutions and purifications, in
any deep clean water.

The fuperftitious heathens, whom the Hebrews called, Tedonim, pretended
that the bones of thofe they worlhipped as gods when alive, revealed
both prefent and future things, that were otherwife concealed : and the
hieroglyphics, the prieftly legible images, which the Egyptians infcribed
on the tombs of the deceafed, to praife their living virtue, and incite youth to
imitate them, proved a great means of inducing them in procefs of time to
worfhip their dead. But the Americans praife only the virtues of their dead,
as fit copies of imitation for the living. They firmly believe that the hand
of God cuts off the days of their dead friend, by his pre-determined pur-
pofe. They are fo far from deifying fellow-creatures, that they prefer none
of their own people, only according to the general ftandard of reputed

The Chinefe, likewife, though they call God by the appellative, Cham 77,
and have their temples of a quadrangular form, yet they are grofs idolaters;
like the ancient Egyptians, inftead of offering up religious oblations to the
great Creator and Preferver of the univerfe, they pay them to the pictures of
their deceafed anceftors, and ere ft temples to them, in folitary places without
their cities—likewife to the fun, moon, planets, fpirits, and inventors of
arts-, efpecially to the great Confucius, notwithflanding he ftriftly prohibited
the like idolatrous rites. And the religious modes of the ancient inhabitants
E of

*6 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

of Niphon, or the Japanefe, are nearly the fame; which are diametrically
oppofite to the religious tenets of the wild Americans.

The diviners among the Philiftines pretended to foretel things, by the
flying, chirping, and feeding of wild fowls. The Greeks and Romans called’
fowls, Nuncii Deorum. And Calchas is faid to have foretold to Aga¬
memnon, by the number of fparrows which flew before him, how many
years the Trojan war Ihould laft. The AJTyrians worlhipped pigeons, and
bore the figure of them on their ftandards, as the facred oracles flicw us,,
where the anger of the pigeon, and the fword of the pigeon, points at the
deftroying fword of the Aflyrians. But, though the American woods fwarm
with a furprizing variety of beautiful wild fowl, yet the natives do not make
the lead pretenfion to auguries. They know it is by a certain gift or
inftind, inferior to human reafon, that the birds have a fufikient knowledge
of the feafons of the year. I once indeed obferved them to be intimidated
at the voice of a fmall uncommon bird, when it pitched, and chirped on a
tree over their war camp. But that is the only trace of fuch fuperftition, as
I can recoiled among them- Inftead of calling birds the mefiengers of the
gods, they call the great eagle. On ole -, which feems to be an imitation of
Eloba .—This may be accounted for, from the eagle being one of the che¬
rubic emblems, denoting the air, or fpirit. They efteem pigeons only as
they are falutary food, and they kill the turtle-dove, though they apply it
as a proper name to their female children.

The Babylonians were much addided to auguries: and they believed,
them to be unerring oracles, and able to dired them in doubtful and ar¬
duous things, Ezek. xxi. 21. Thofe auguries always direded their condud,
in every material thing they undertook; fuch as the beginning and carrying
on war, going a journey, marriage, and the like. But, as we fhall foon
fee, the Americans, when they go to war, prepare and. fandify themlelves,
only by fading and ablutions, that they may not defile their fuppoled
holy ark, and thereby incur the refentment of the Deity. And many of
them firmly believe, that marriages are made above. If the Indian Ame¬
ricans were defcended from any of the ftates or people above mentioned,,
they could not well have forgotten, much lefs could they have fo efientially.
departed from their idolatrous worlhip. It is hence probable, they came here,.
7 foon.

No traces of idolatry among them. vj

Toon after the captivity, when the religion of the Hebrew nation, refpefting
the worfhip of Deity, was in its purity. And if any of the ancient hea¬
thens came with them, they became profelytes of habitation, or juftice—
hereby, their hcathenifh rites and ceremonies were, in procefs of time,
intirely abforbed in the religious ceremonies of the Jews.

Had the nine tribes and half of Ifrael which were carried off by Shalma-
nefer, King of Affyria, and fettled in Media, continued there long, it is
very probable, that by intermarrying with the natives, and from their natural
ficklenefc and pronenefs to idolatry, and the force of example, they would
have adopted, and bowed before the gods of the Medes and the Afiyrians,
and carried them along with them. But there is not a trace of this idolatry
among the Indians. The fevere affliftions they underwent in captivity,
doubtlefs humbled their hearts, and reclaimed them from the fervice of
the calves, and of Baalam, to the true divine worfhip—a glimpfe of which
they ftill retain. And that the firft fettlers came to America before the de-
ftru&ion of the firft temple, may be inferred, as it is certain both from
Philo and Jofephus, that the fecond temple had no cherubim. To reflect
yec greater light on the fubjeft, I fhall here add a few obfervations on the
Indians fuppofed religious cherubic emblems, the cherubimical names of
their tribes, and from whence they, and the early heathens, may be fuppofed
to have derived them.

When the goodnefs of Deity induced him to promife a faviour to fallen
man, in paradife, he ftationed flaming cherubim in the garden. The type I
fhall leave-, but when mankind became intirely corrupt, God renewed his
promife to the Ifraelites, and to convey to pofterity the true divine worfhip,
ordered them to fix in the tabernacle, and in Solomon’s temple, cherubim.,
over the mercy-feat,—the very curtains which lined the walls, and the veil
of the temple, likewife, were to have thole figures. The cherubim are faid
to reprefent the names and offices of Tohewah Elohim , in redeeming loft man¬
kind. The word D'313, is drawn from 3, a note of refemblance, and 31,
a great or mighty one ; i. e. the “ fimilitude of the great and mighty One,”
whofe emblems were the bull, the lion, the man, and the eagle. The pro¬
phet Ezekiel has given us two draughts of the cherubim (certainly not
without an inftrudtive defign) in his two viftons, deferibed in the firft
E a and

»8 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

and tenth chapters. In chap. x. ver. 20, he allures us that “ he knew
they were the cherubim.” They were uniform, and had thofe four com¬
pounded animal emblems j “Every one had four faces— D'J3,” appear¬
ances, habits, or forms; which paffage is illuftrated by the fimilar divine
emblems on the four principal ftandards of Ifrael. The ftandard of Judah
bore the image of a lion ; Ephraim’s had the likenefs of a bull ; Reuben’s.

4 had the figure of a man's, head; and Dan’s carried the picture of an eagle*
with a ferpent in his talons * : Each of the cherubim, according to the pro¬
phet, had the head and face of a man—the likenefs of an eagle, about the
Ihoulders, with expanded wings; their necks, manes, and breafts, refem-
bled thofe of a lion •, and their feet thofe of a bull, or calf. “ The foie of
their feet was like the foie of a calf’s foot.” One would conclude, from
Ezekiel’s vifions, and Pfal. xviii. 10.:— Pf. xeix. t. “ He rode upon a
cherub, and did fly—■“ The Lord reigneth, let the people tremble : he
fitteth between the cherubim, let the earth be moved,”—that Elohim chofe
the cherubic emblems, in condefcenfion to man, to difplay his tranfeendent
glorious title of King of kings. We view him feated in his triumphal cha¬
riot, and as in the midft of a formidable war camp, drawn, by thofe four
creatures, the bull, the lion, the man, and the eagle 5 ftrong and deferiptive
emblems of the divine effence. What animal is equal to. the bull, or ox,
for ftrength, indefatigable fervice, and alfo for food ? In eaftern countries,
they were always ufed to plough, and beat out the grain, befides other
fervices omitted in modern times; the lion excels every other animal ini
courage, force, and prowefs: man far furpaffes all other creatures, in un-
derftanding, judgment, and wifdom ; and there is no bird fo fagacious, or
can fly fo fwift, or foar fo high as the eagle, or that bears fo intenfe a love
to its young ones.

Thefe are the emblems of the tenefirial cherubim: and the Pfatmift calls
them Merabha Hafhekina, “ The chariot of Divine Majefty “ God fitteth:
between, and rideth upon, the cherubim,” or divine chariot. The celejlial
cherubim were fire, light, and air, or fpirit, which were typified by the bull, the.
lion, and the eagle. Thofe divine emblems, in a long revolution of time,

• The Man, which the lion on the ftandard of Judah, and the head on Reuben's, typified,
was, in the fulnefs of time, united to the divine, effence.

? induced

2 ?

'their religious cherubic emblems.

induced the ancients by degrees, to divide them, and make images of thf
divine perfons, powers, and adtions, which they typified, and to efteem
them gods. They confecrated the bull’s head to the fire, the lion’s to light,
and the eagle’s to the air, which they worfhipped as gods. And, in pro¬
portion as they loft the knowledge of the emblems, they multiplied and
compounded their heads with thofe of different creatures. The Egyptians
commonly put the head of ,a lion, hawk, or eagle, and fometimes that of
a ram, or bull, to their images •, fome of which refembled the human
body. Their Apis, or Ofiris, gave rife to Aaron’s, and apoftate Ifrael’s,
golden calf: and their fphynx had three heads. Diana of Ephefus was
triformis; Janus of Rome, biformis, and, fometimes, quadriformis j and
Jupiter, Sol, Mercury, Proferpine, and Cerberus, were triple-headed.

Hefiod tells us, the ancient heathens had no lefs than thirty thoufand
gods. It is well known that the ancient heathens, efpecially the Greeks and
Romans, abounded with male and female deities; and commonly in human
effigy. As they imagined they could not fafely truft themfelves to the care
of any one god, they therefore chofe a multiplicity- They multiplied and
changed them from childhood to old age. The Romans proceeded fo far,
as to make Cloacina the guardian goddefs of each houfe-of-office. The hea¬
thens in general, appointed one god to prefide over the land, and another
over the water ■, one for the mountains, and another for the valleys. And
they were fo diffident of the power of their gods, that they chofe a god, or
goddefs, for each part of the body; contrary to the religious fyftem of their
bell poets and philofophers, and that of the prefent lavage Americans : the
former affirmed, fapiens domnalitur afiris. &c. ■, “ A wife, good man, will
always be ruled by divine reafon \ and not pretend to be drawn to this or
that, by an over-bearing power of the ftars, or fortuneand the latter
affert, “ that temporal good or evil is the neceffary effedl of their own con-
dudt ; and that the Deity prefides over life and death.”

If the firft inftitution of the cherubic emblems was not religious, nor de¬
rived from the compounded figures of the feripture cherubim, how is it that
fo many various nations of antiquity, and far remote from each, other, (hould
have chofen them as gods, and lb exadtly alike ? Is it not moft reafonable-
to fuppofe, that as they loft the meaning of thofe fymbolical figures,, and

theirr

jo On the Jefcent of the American Indians frim the Jews.

•heir archetypes, fire, light, and air, or fpirit, which reprefented the attri¬
butes, names, and offices of Yobewab Elobim, they divided them into fo
many various gods, and paid them divine worfhip. Yet, though the Indian
Americans have the fuppofed cherubimical figures, in their fynhedria, and,
through a ftrong religious principle, dance there, perhaps every Winter’s
night, always in a bowing pofture, and frequently fing Halelu-Yah To He Wab,
J could never perceive, nor be informed, that they fubftituted them, or the
fimilitude of any thing whatfoevcr, as objects of divine adoration, in the
room of the great invifible divine efiehce. They ufe the feathers of the
eagle’s tail, in certain friendly and religious dances, but the whole town will
contribute, to the value of 200 deer-fkins, for killing a large eagle ; (the
bald eagle they do not efteem)-, and the” man alfo gets an honourable title
for the exploit, as if he had brought in the fcalp of an enemy. Now, if
they reckoned the eagle a god, they would not only refufe perfonal profits,
and honours, to him who killed it, but affuredly inflift on him the fevered
punifhment, for committing fo atrocious and facrilegious an aft.

I have feen in feveral of the Indian fynhedria, two white painted eagles
carved out of poplar wood, with their wings ftretched out, and raifed five
feet off the ground, Handing at the corner, clofe to their red and white
imperial feats: and, on the inner fide of each of the deep-notched pieces of
wood, where the eagles ftand, the Indians frequently paint, with a chalky
clay, the figure of a man, with buffalo horns—and that of a panther, with
the fame colour-, from which I conjeftare, efpecially, connefted with their
other rites and cuffoms foon to be mentioned, that the former emblem was
defigned to defcribe the divine attributes, as that bird excels the reft of the
feathered kind, in various fuperior qualities ; and that the latter fymbol is a
contraftion of the cherubimical figures, the man, the bull, and the lion.
And this opinion is corroborated by an eftablifhed cuftom, both religious
and martial, among them, which obliges them to paint thofe facred emblems’
anew, at the firft fruit-offering, or the annual expiation of fins. Every one
of their war-leaders mult alfo make three fuccefsful wolfijh campaigns , with
their reputed holy ark, before he is' admitted to wear a pair of a young
buffalo-bull’s horns on his forehead, or to fing the triumphal war long, and
to dance with the fame animal’s tail flicking up behind him, while he lings
To Yo, &c.

Now

Their religious cherubic emblems. 31

Now we know it was an ufual cuftom with the eaftern nations, to affix,
horns t.o their gods. The Sidonian goddefs Afhtaroth was horned : and
Herodotus fays, the Egyptians painted their Venus, or Ifis, after the fame
manner: and the Greek jo, (which probably wasYo) had horns, in allufion
to the bull’s head, the chief emblem of the celeftial cherubic fire, repre-
fenting Yo (He Wah) as its name plainly indicates. A horn was, like-
wife, a Perfian emblem of power *.

That the Indians derived thofe fymbolical reprefentations from the com¬
pounded figures of the cherubim, ieems yet more clear, from the prefent
cherubic names of their tribes, and the pre-eminence they formerly bore
over the reft. At prefent, indeed, the moft numerous tribe commonly
bears the Tiigheft command ; yet their old warriors aflure us, it was not fo
even within their own remembrance. The title of the old beloved men, or
archi magi, is ftill hereditary in the panther, or tyger family: As North-
America breeds no lions, the panther, of any animal it contains, is the
nearelt emblem of it. The Indian name of each cherub, both terreftrial
and celeftial, reflefts great light on the prefent fubjedt j for they call the
buffalo (bull) Tanafa ; the panther, or fuppofed lion, Kce-IJhto, or Kc 'e-O y
“■ the cat of God the man, or human creature, Ta-we ; and the eagle,
Ooile ■, fire is Loak -, the folar light, AJht abide •, and air, Mahale, in allufion
to 'D, water, and bit, the omnipotent 5 the note of afpiration is inferred, to
give the word a fuller and more vehement found. Their eagle and buffalo
tribes refemble two other cherubic names or emblems. They have one they
call Spbane, the meaning of which they have loft; perhaps it might have
fignified the man.

Near to the red and white imperial feats, they have the reprefcntation of
a full moon, and either a half moon, or a breaft-plate, railed five or fix feet
high at the front of the broad feats, and painted with chalky clay; fome-
times black paintings are intermixed. But, let it be noticed, that in the

• The metaphorical expreffions, and emblematical reprefentations, of the law and the pro¬
phets, are generally fuited to the ufages of the eaftern countries. And this metaphor, of a
horn, is commonly fo ufed, through all the divine regifters, multiplying the number of
horns of the objeft they are defcribing, to denote its various, great, and perfeft power; unlefs.
where feven is mentioned as a number of perfeftion, as in St. John’s figurative, magnificent,
and fublime defcription of Chrift,

am*

2*2 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

time of their molt religious exercifes, or their other friendly rejoicings there,
they do not pay the lead adoration to any of thofe expreffive emblems ; nor
feem to take any notice of them : which is the very reverfe to the ufage of
all the ancient heathen world. Hence one would conclude, that they not
only brought with them the letter, but the meaning of thofe reputed che-
rubimical figures, which were defigned to reprefent the inieparable attri¬
butes of Tohewab.

It is univerfally agreed, by the chriftian world, that every religious ob-
fervance of the ancient heathens, which the Mofaic law approved of, was at
firft derived from divine appointment; and as we are allured in the firft
pages of the facred oracles, concerning Cain, Gen. iv. 16. “ that he went ouc
from the prefence of the Lord," we learn, that God, in that early date of the
world, chofe a place for his more immediate prefence,—Q'3, his faces, ap¬
pearances, or forms refidmg in, or between, the cherubim. We may, there¬
fore, reafonably conclude, from the various gods, and religious worfhip of
the ancient heathens, and from the remaining divine emblems, and family
names of the Indian Americans, that the former deduced thofe emblems
«hey deifyed, from the compounded cherubim in paradile : and that the
Indians derived their cherubic figures, and names of tribes, from the cheru¬
bim that covered the mercy-feat, in the tabernacle, and in Solomon’s tem¬
ple, alluded to and delineated in feveral parts of the facred oracles.

ARGUMENT III.

Agreeable to the theocracy, or divine government of Ifrael, the Indians
think the Deity to be the immediate head of their ftate.

All the nations of Indians are exceedingly intoxicated with religious pride,
and have an inexpreflible contempt of the white people, unlefs we except
thofe half-favage Europeans, who are become their profelytes. Nothings is
the mod: favourable name they give us, in their fet fpeeches : even the Indians
who were formerly bred in amity with us, and in enmity to the French,
ufed to call us, in their war orations, hottuk ookproofe, « The accurfed peo¬
ple.” But they flatter themfelves with the name hottuk oretoopah , « The be¬
loved people,” becaufe their fuppofed anceftors, as they affirm, were under
the immediate government of the Deity, who was prefent with them, in a

very

Their belief of being under a theocracy. 33

very particular manner, and direfted them by prophets ; while the reft of
the world were aliens and out-laws to the covenant.

When the arcbi-magus, or any one of their magi, is perfuading the people,
at their religious folemnities to a ftrift obfervance of the old beloved, or di¬
vine fpqech, he always calls them, “ The beloved,” or holy people, agree¬
able to the Hebrew epithet, Jlmmi, during the theocracy of Ifrael: he urges
them, with the greateft energy of expreflion he is capable of, a ftrong voice,
and very expreflive geftures, to imitate the noble aftions of their great and
virtuous forefathers, which they performed, in a furprizing manner, by
their holy things, and a ftrift obfervance of the old, beloved fpeech.
Then, he flourifhes on their beloved land that flowed with milk and honey,
telling them they had good, and the beft things in the greateft plenty:
and fpeaks largely of their prefent martial cuftoms, and religious rites,
which they derived from their illuftrious predecefibrs,—ftriftly charging
them not to deviate, in the leaft, out of that old, beloved, beaten path, and
they will furely meet with all the fuccefs that attended their beloved fore¬
fathers.

I have heard the fpeaker, on thefe occafions, after quoting the war
aftions of their diftinguilhed chieftains, who fell in battle, urging them as a
copy of imitation to the living—allure the audience, that fuch a death, in
defence of their beloved land, and beloved things, was far preferable to fome
of their living piftures, that were only fpending a dying life, to the lhame
and danger of the fociety, and of all their beloved things, while the others
died by their virtue, and ftill continue a living copy. Then, to foften the
thoughts of death, he tells them, they who died in battle are only gone to
Deep with their beloved forefathers; (for they always colleft the bones) —
and mentions a common proverb they have, Neetak Intabah, “ The days ap¬
pointed, or allowed him, were finilhed.” And this is their firm belief j for
they affirm, that there is a certain fixt time, and place, when, and where,
every one muft die, without any poflibility of averting it. They frequently
fay, “ Such a one was weighed on the path, and made to be light
aferibing life and death to God’s unerring and particular providence;
which may be derived from a religious opinion, and proverb of the Hebrews,
that “ the divine care extended itfelf, from the horns of the unicorn, to
the very feet of the lice.” And the more refined part of the old heathens
believed the like. The ancient Greeks and Romans, who were great copiers
F of

34 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jens,

of the rites and cuftoms of the Jews, believed there were three deftinies who
prefided over human life, and had each of them their particular office ; one
held the diftaffof life, while another fpun the thread, and Atropos cut it off:
a ftrong but wild pifture of the divine fire, light, and fpirit. When Virgil
is praifing the extraordinary virtue of Ripheus, who was killed in defence
of his native city, Troy, he adds, Diis aliter vifum eft, —fubmitting to the
®cod and wife providence of the gods, who thought fit to call him off the
ftage. However, he feems to be perplexed on the fubjeft; as he makes fate
fometiines conditional ;

. ■■ -- Similis ft cur a fuiffet,

Nec pater omnipetens Trejam nec fata vetabant
Stare, -

« If the ufual proper care had been taken, neither Jupiter nor fate would
have hindered Troy from ftanding at this time.” But, if the time of
dying was unalterably fixed, according to the Indian fyftem, or that of our
fatalifts, how would its votaries reconcile the fcheme of divine Providence ?
which muft be in conformity to truth, reafon, and goodnefs,—and how
explain the nature of moral good and evil ? On their principle, felf-murder
would be a neceffary aft of a paffive being fet on work by the firft mover ;
and his obligations would be proportionable, only to his powers and facul¬
ties; which would excufe the fuppofed criminal from any juft future punifh-
ment for fuicide. But religion, and true reafon, deny the premifes, and
they themfelves will not own the confequence.

It is their opinion of the theocracy, or, that God chofe them out
of all the reft of mankind, as his peculiar and beloved people,—which ani¬
mates both the white Jew, and the red American, with that fteady hatred
againft all the world, except themfelves, and renders them hated or defpifed
by all. The obftinacy of the former, in (hutting their eyes againft the facred
oracles, which are very explicit and clear in the original text, and of which
they were the truftees, incites both our pity and reproof; whereas the others
firm adherence to, and ftrong retention of, the rites and cuftoms of their
forefathers, only attraft our admiration.

The American Indians are fo far from being Atheifts, as fome godlefs
Europeans have flattered themfelves, to excufe their own infidelity, that they
Jhave the great facred name of God, that deferibes his divine effence, and
7 ^

Their firm belief of God's government of the world. 35

by which he manifefted himfelf to Mofes—and are firmly perfuaded they
now live under the immediate government of the Deity. The afcenfion of
the fmoke of their vidtim, as a fweet favour to Tohewah, (of which hereafter)
is a full proof to the contrary, as alfo that they worlhip God, in a fmoke
and cloud, believing him to refide above the clouds, and in the element of
the, fuppofed, holy annual fire. It is no way material to fix any certain
place for the refidence of Him, who is omniprefent, and who fuftains every
fyftem of beings. It is not eflential to future happinefs, whether we believe
his chief place of abode is in calo tertio, paradifo terrejlri, or elemento ignco.
God hath placed confcience in us for a monitor, witnefs, and judge. — It is
the guilty or innocent mind, that accufes, or excufes us, to Him. If any
farther knowledge was required, it would be revealed ; but St. Paul ftudi-
ouQy conceals the myfteries he faw in the empyreal heavens.

The place of the divine refidence is commonly faid to be above the clouds;
but that is becaufe of the diftance of the place, as well as our utter igno¬
rance of the nature of Elohim’s exiftence, the omniprefent fpirit of the uni-
verfe. Our finite minds cannot comprehend a being who is infinite. This
infcrutable labyrinth occafioned Simonides, a difcreet heathen poet and phi-
lofopher, to requeft Hiero, King of Sicily, for feveral days fuccefiively, to
grant him a longer time to defcribe the nature of the Deity; and, at the end,
to confefs ingenuoufly, that the farther he waded in that deep myftery, the
more he funk out of his depth, and was lefs able to define it.

If we trace Indian antiquities ever fo far, we (hall find that not one of
them ever retained, pr imbibed, atheiftical principles, except fuch whofe
intereft as to futurity it notorioufly appeared to be—whofe praftices made
them tremble whenever they thought of a juft and avenging God : but thefe
rare inftances were fo far from infe&ing the reft, that they were the more
confirmed in the opinion, of not being able either to live or die well, without
a God. And this all nature proclaims in every part of the univerfe.

ARGUMENT IV.

We have abundant evidence of the Jews believing in the minijlration of
angels , during the Old-Teftament difpenfation ; their frequent appearances,
and their fervices, on earth, are recorded in the oracles, which the Jews
themfelves receive as given by divine infpiration. And St. Paul in his
F 2 epiftle

3 6 On the dcfcent of the American Indians from the yews.

epiftle addrefled to the Hebrews, fpeaks of it as their general opinion, that
“ Angels are miniftring fpirits to the good and righteous on earth.” And
that it was the fentiment of thofe Jews who embraced chriftianity, is evident
from Alts xii. where an angel is faid to deliver Peter from his imprifonment,
and when the maid reported that Peter flood at the gate knocking, his
friends doubting, faid, “ It is his angel.” Women alfo are ordered to have
their heads covered in religious aflemblies, becaufe of the prefence of the
angels, and to obferve filence, the modeft cuftom of the eaftern countries.
The Indian fentiments and traditions are the fame.—They believe the higher
regions to be inhabited by good fpirits, whom they call Hottuk IJhtobooUo,
and Nana IJhtoboollo , “ holy people,” and “ relations to the great, holy
One.” The Hottuk ookproofe, or Nana ookproofe, “ accurfed people,” or
« accurfed beings,” they fay, poflefs the dark regions of the weft; the for¬
mer attend, and favour the virtuous i and the latter, in like manner, accom¬
pany and have power over th^ vicious : on which account, when any of their
relations die, they immediately fire off leveral guns, by one, two, and three at
a time, for fear of being plagued with the laft troublefome neighbours : all
the adjacent towns alfo on the occafion, whoop and halloo at night 5 for
they reckon, this offenfive noife fends off the ghofts to their proper fixed
place, till they return at fome certain time, to repoflefs their beloved trafb
of land, and enjoy their terreftrial paradife. As they believe in God, fo they
firmly believe that there is a clafs of higher beings than men, and a future
ftate and exiftence..

There are not greater bigots in Europe, nor pcrftms more fuperftitious,
than the Indians, (efpecially the women) concerning the power of witches,
wizards, and evil fpirits. It is the chief fubjeft of their idle winter night’s
chat: and both they, and feveral of our traders, report very incredible and
Ihocking ftories. They will affirm that they have feen, and diftin&ly, mod
furprizing apparitions, and heard horrid fhrieking noifes. They pretend, it
was impoffible for all their fenfes to be deluded at the fame time; efpecially
at Okmulge , the old wafte town, belonging to the Mujkohge , 150 miles S. W.
of Augufta in Georgia, which the South-Carolinians deftroyed about the
year 1715. They ftrenuoufly aver, that when neceffity forces them to en¬
camp there, they always hear, at the dawn of the morning, the ufual noife
of Indians finging their joyful religious notes, and dancing, as if going
down to the river to purify themfelves, and then returning to the old town-
houfe : with a great deal more to the fame eft'eft. Whenever I have been

there,.

Their belief of the exiftence and minijlration of angels. 37

there, however, all hath been filent. Our noify bacchanalian company might
indeed have drowned the noife with a greater of their own. But as I have
gone the tedious Chikkafah war path, through one continued defart, day and
night, much oftener than any of the reft of the traders, and alone, to the
Chikkafah country, fo none of thofe frightful fpirits ever appeared to, nor
any tremendous noife alarmed me. But they fay this was “ becaufe 1 am
an obdurate infidel that way.”

The Hebrews feem to have entertained notions pretty much refembling
the Indian opinions on this head, from fome paffages in their rabbins, and
which they ground even on the fcriptures *. We read Ifa. xiii. at. “ But
wild beafts of the defart lhall lie there, and their houfes Hull be full of dole¬
ful creatures, and owls fhall dwell there, and fatyrs lhall dance there -f,”

Several warriors have told me, that their Nana IJhtohtollo , “ concomitant
holy fpirits,” or angels, have forewarned them, as by intuition, of a dan¬
gerous ambufcade, which tnuft have been attended with certain death, when
they were alone, and feemingly out of danger; and by virtue of the im-
pulfe, they immediately darted off, and, with extreme difficulty, efcaped the
crafty, purfuing enemy. Similar to this, was the opinion of many of the Jews*
and feveral of the ancient and refined heathens, and is the fentiment of mo¬
derns, that intimations of this kind, for man’s prefervation and felicity*
proceed from God by the inftrumentality of good angels, or fuperior invi-
fible beings, which he employs for that purpofe—who can fo impr’efs the
imagination, and influence the mind, as to follow the fuggeftions, but not fa
as to deftroy the liberty of the will.—Thus Homer introduces Minerva as
fuggefting what was proper for the perfons Ihe favoured — and other fuperiotr
beings; but they deliberated on the counfel, and chofe that which appeared
to be right.

ARGUMENT V.

The Indian language, and dialetts, appear to have the very idiom and ge¬
nius of the Hebrew. Their words and fentences are expreffive, concife, em-

• Lev. xix. 31. 1 Sam. xxviii. 3, he. 16 . viii. 194

t Bochart fuppofes that tfiim fignify wild can; and that □‘ftS! is not any particular crea¬
ture, but the crying or howling of wild beads. His opinion is confirmed by many judicious

7 phaticaf*

jg On tie defctnt of the American Indians from tie Jenat.

pharical, Canorous, and bold—and often, both in letters and fignification,
fynonymous with the Hebrew language. It is a common and old remark,
that there is no language, in which fome Hebrew words are not to be found.
Probably Hebrew was the firft, and only language, till didance of time and
place introduced a change, and then foon followed a mixture of others. The
accidental pofition of the characters, might alfb coincide with fome Hebrew
words, in various dialeCta, without the lead intention. As the true pronun¬
ciation of the Hebrew characters, is loft in a confiderable degree, it is too
difficult a talk, for a Ikilful Hebraift, to alccrtain a fatisfaCtorv identity of
language, between the Jews, and American Aborigines-, much more fo to
an Indian trader, who profelfes but a fmall acquaintance with the Hebrew,
and that acquired by his own application. However, I will endeavour to
make up the deficiency of Hebrew, with a plenty of good folk! Indian roots.

The Indian nouns have neither cafes nor declenfions. They are invariably
the fame, through both numbers, after the Hebrew manner. In their verbs,
they likewife fometimes ufe the preterperfeft, inftead of the prefent tenfe of
the indicative mood -, as Blabfas Aiabrt, Aptefabre, “ Yefterday I went and
law j” and Eemmabo Aiabre, Apeefabrt, “ Now I go and fee.” Like the
Hebrews, they have no comparative, or fuperlative degree. They eitprefs
a preference, by the oppofite extremes; as Cbebnfteene, “ You arc virtuous;”
Sabab/e, “ I am vicious." But it implies a comparative degree, and figni-
fies, “ You are more virtuous than I am.” By prefixing the adverbs, which
exprefs little, and much, to the former words, it conveys the fame meaning ;
the former of which is agreeable to the Hebrew idiom. And a double re¬
petition of the fame adjeCtive, makes a fuperlative, according to the Hebrew
manner; as I sneers, Lower a, “ molt, or very many." To add bob to the
end of an adjeCtive, unlefs it is a noun of multitude like the former, makes
it all'o a fuperlative; as I lob/e to bob, “ They are molt, or very wicked."
Habfe fignifics vicious, probably when the vicious part of the Ifraelites were
under the hand of the corrector, the judge repeated that word : la, is a note
of plurality, and bah an Hebrew accent of admiration; which makes it a
fuperlative. To join the name of God, or the leading vowel of the myftc-
rious, great, divine name, to the end of a noun, likewife implies a fuperla¬
tive -, as lUbfe-iJbto, or Habfe-o, " He, or fhe, is very wicked.” The former
method of fpeceh exaftly agrees with the Hebrew idiom ; as the original
text lhcws, in innumerable inftanccs.

When

The idiom and genius of their language. 39

When the Hebrews compare two things, and would fignify a parity be¬
tween them, they double the particle of refemblance •, “ I am as thou art;
and my people as thy people And the Indians, on account of that original
defective ftandard of fpeech, are forced to ufe the like circumlocution-;
as Che Ahbba fia , “ I am like youand Sabottuk Cbebottuk tooab. See. for
Hottuk fignifies people, and the S expreffes the pronoun my, or mine : and
it likewife changes an adtive, into a paffive verb. Although this Indian
and Hebrew method of fpeech, is rather tedious and defedtive, yet, at the
fame time, they who attain any tolerable (kill in the dialeels of the one,
and language of the other, will difeover the fenfe plain enough, when a
comparifon is implied.

There is not, perhaps, any one language or fpeech, except the Hebrew,
and the Indian American, which has not a great many prepofitions.
The Indians, like the Hebrews, have none in feparate and exprefs words.
They are forced to join certain characters to words, in order to fupply that
great defect. The Hebrew confonants, called ferviles, were tools to fupply
the place of the prepofitions. The Indians, for want of a fufficient number
of radical words, are forced to apply the fame noun and verb, to fignify
many things of a various nature. With the Cheerake, Eeankke, fignifies a
prif oner, captive, JUve, awl, pin, needle, &c.; which occafions the Indian
dialects to be very difficult to ftrangers. The jewiffi Rabbins tell us, that
the Hebrew language contains only a few more than a thoufand primitive
words, of which their whole language is formed. So that the fame
word very often denotes various, though not contrary things. But there is
one radical meaning, which will agree to every fenfe that word is ufed in.

By cuftom, a Hebrew noun frequently fupplied the place of a pronoun ;
by which means, it caufed a tedious, and fometimes an ambiguous circum¬
locution. From this original defective ftandard of fpeech, the Indians have
forgotten all their pronouns, except two primitives and two relatives; as,
An'owab, Ego, and IJhna, Tu : the latter bears a great many fignifications,
both as Angular and plural, viz. Ee'apa and Eeako ; which fignify he, (he,
this, that. See. : And they are likewife adverbs of place; as here, there, &c.
Kin Hewa, fignifies he or (he; Am, we; and i:n', Anowa, he, (he,
him, her, &c.

The

40

On the dcfccnt of the American Indians from the Jews.

The Hebrew language frequently ufes hyperboles, or magnifying num¬
bers, to denote a long fpace of time : the Indians, accordingly, apply the
words, Neelak akroobah, “ all days,” or, in other words, “ for ever,” to a
long feries of years. With the Jews, fitting, fignified dwelling; and,
with the Indians, it is the very fame; for, when they afk a perl'on where
he dwells, they fay, Katemuk IJhteneele (chunk ?), which is literally, “ where
do you fit?” And when they call us irreligious, they fay Nana U-bat , “ No
thing," or literally, “ a relation to nothing for Nana fignifies a relation :
and the other is always a negative adverbial period ; which feems alfo to
proceed from a religious cuftom of the Hebrews, in giving defpicable bor¬
rowed names to idols; as to D'bjQ, Baalim, “ Particles of air,” meaning, no¬
thing. To which the Pfalmift alludes, faying, “ I will not take up their
names in my lips.” And St. Paul fays, “ We know that an idol is nothing."
This expreflion the Indians apply, in a pointed metaphor, to the white peo¬
ple, but never to each other.

Like the Hebrews, they feldom, if ever, double the liquid confonant R -,
for they generally feem defirous of Ihuffling over it, at any rate : And they
often give it the found of L ; but, if it precedes a word, where the other
confonant foon follows, they always give it its proper found, contrary to
the ufage of the Chinefe: as the name of a ftone, they often call, Table,
inftead of Tahr'e ; but the Indians fay, “ Tabre lakkana, literally, “ Yellow
ftone,” i. e. gold.

The Hebrews fubjoined one of their ferviles, to words, to exprefs the
pronoun relative, thy or thine: And as that particle was alfo a note of re-
femblance, it fhews the great fterility of that language. As a fpecimen—
They faid (Abiche) “ your father,” and -jd«, (Ameche) “ Your

mother,” &c. Only that the Hebrew period is initial, in luch a cafe, to the
Indian nouns, they always ufe the very fame method of expreflion. This I
fhall illuftrate with two words in the dialefts of the Chikkafah and Chee-
rake—as Chinge and Cbatokta, “ your father ;” Anggt and Aketobla figni-
fying “ my father,” in relemblance of ns, Abba, of the lame import; like-
wife Chijhke and Cbacheeah, “ your mother for Safe and Akachee fignify
“ my mother," in imitation of n»H, AJht. Alfo Sas Kijh fignifies podex mens,
Chijh Kijh , podex tuus, and Kijh Kijh, podex illius; which I guefs to be an

opprobrious

4i

The idiom of their language.

opprobrious allufion to Kifh the father of Saul, for the fon’s affuming the
throne at the end of the Jewilh theocracy. In their adjefrives and verbs, they
ufe the lame method of fpeech; as Naboorifo Cbin-Chookoma, “ Your book is
good.” The former word is compounded of S3 (Na) now, or the prefent
time, and Hoorefo, delineated, marked, or painted, Aia fignifies to go, and
Maia-Cba, “ Go along,” or Main, the fame ; for, by prefixing D to it, it im¬
plies a requifite obedience. In like' manner, Apeefah, to fee, and Peesacba, look,
or “ fee you.” And, when that particle is prefixed to a verb, it always expreffes
the accufative cafe of the fame pronoun •, as Cbepeefabre, “ I faw you,” and
Chepeefabras, “ I fhall fee you.” Each of the Hebrew charafters are radicals;
although half of them are ferviles, according to that proper term of the
fcholialts ; for, when they are prefixed, inferted, or fubjoined, either at the
beginning, middle, or end of a radical word, they ferve to form its various
augments, inflexions, and derivatives. According to this difficult ftandard
of fpeech, the Indian nouns, moods, and tenfes, are varioufly formed to ex-
prefs different things. As there is no other known language or dialed!,
which has the fame tedious, narrow, and difficult principles ; mult we not
confider them to be twin-bom filters ? The want of proper fkill to obferve
the original fixed idea of the Indian words, their radical letters, and the due
founds in each of them, feems to have been the only reafon why the writers
on the American Aborigines, have not exhibited the true and genuine pro¬
perties of any one of their dialedts ; as they are all uniform in principle :
lo far at leaft, as an extenfive acquaintance reaches.

The Hebrew nouns are either derived from verbs, or both of them are
one and the fame •, as rom, (Beroche) “ Bleffing,” from "pa, (Beroch)
“ to blefs,” and ir 131, (Dabar Daber) “ he fpoke the fpeech.” This
proper name fignifies “ loquacious,” like the Indian Sekakee, fignifving the
“ grafshopper.” The Indian method of exprefiion, exadlly agrees with
that Hebrew mode of fpeech •, for they fay Anumbole Anumbole (bis) “ I
fpake the fpeaking •,” and Anumiole Enumtole (kis), “ he fpoke the fpeak-
ing, or fpeech.” And by inferring the name of God between thefe two
words, their meaning is the very fame with thole two firft Hebrew words.
I fhall fubjoin another word of the fame fort— Hookfeelcta- fignifies “ a (hut¬
ting inftrument 5" and they fay IJhtoek/eeleta, or Hookfeelita, Ifh-bookfcetas,
or Hookfeetii Cba, “ You fhall, or, fhut you the door.” Their period of the
kill word, always denotes the fecond perfon Angular of the imperative mood;

G and

42 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

and that of the other preceding it, either the firft or fecond perfon Angular of
the indicative mood; which is formed fo by a fixed rule, on account of the
variegating power of the ferviles, by affixing, inferting, or fuffixing them, to-
any root. According to the ufage of the Hebrews, they always place the
accufative cafe alfo before the verb; as in the former Indian words.

With the Hebrews, nhsn fignified “ a prayer,” or a religious invocation,
derived from nVs, Phelac, “ to pray to, or invoke the Deity.” In a ftrong
refemblance thereof, when the Indians are performing their facred dance,
with the eagles tails, and with great earneftnefs invoking To He Wab to
blefs them with fuccefs and profperity, Phale fignifies, “ waving,” or in¬
voking by waving, IJhpbale, you wave, Phalecha , wave you, Apbalale , I
waved, Apbalelas, I will wave, &c. Pfalmodifts feem to have borrowed the
notes fa, la, from the aforefaid Hebrew words of praying, finging to, or
invoking Elohim. tys, (Phoole) “ to work,” is evidently drawn from the
former Hebrew word, which fignifies to invoke (and probably to wave the
feathers of the cherubic eagle before) To He IVab. The greateft part of the
Levitical method of worlhipping, confided in laborious mechanical exercifes,
much after the Indian manner; which the popifh priefts copy after, in a
great many inftances, as pulling off their clothes, and putting on others ;
imagining that the Deity is better pleafed with perfons who variegate their
external appearances, like Proteus, than with thofe who worfhip with a fteady,
fincere difpofition of mind; befides a prodigious group of other fuperftitious
ceremonies, which are often fhamefully blended with thofe of the old
pagans.

As the Hebrew word tu, Na, fignifies the prefent time—fo when the
Indians defire a perfon to receive fomething from them fpeedily, they fay.
No (fhort and gutturally) eefcba , “ take it, now.” He replies Unta, or
Omeb, which are good-natured affirmatives. The pronoun relative, “ you,”'
which they term IJhna, is a compounded Hebrew word, fignifying (by ap¬
plication) the perfon prefent, or “ you.”

With the Hebrews, in in, Hara Hara, fignifies, “ mod, or very, hot
the repetition of the word makes it a fuperlative. In a ftrict refemblance of
that word, and mode of fpeech, when an Indian is baffled by any of their
7 humorous

The idiom andJimilarity of their language. 43

humorous wits, he fays, in a loud jetting manner, Hara Hara, or Hal*
Hala, according to their capacity of pronouncing the liquid R : and it fig-
nifies, “ you are very hot upon metheir word, which exprefles “ Iharp,”
conveys the idea of bitter-heartednefs with them ; and that of bitternefs
they apply only to the objects of tafte.

With the Cheerake, Chikkafah, and Choktah Indians, Name fignifies
“ a hilland Naitneb, with the two laft-mentioned nations, “ a filh and
Unchaba , “ a mountain.” But they call an alligator, or crocodile, Nanneb
Chmchaba, literally, “ the filh like a mountainwhich the Englilh lan¬
guage would abbreviate into the name of a mountain-filh 5 but, inftead of a
hyphen, they ufe the Hebrew 3, a note of refemblance, which feems to
point at the language from which they derived it. In like manner, Aa
fignifies to walk, and Eette, wood ; but Eette Chanda , any kind of wheel
which is confonant to the aforefaid Hebrew idiom ; with many others of the
like nature : but a fpecimen of this fort mutt fuffice.

The Hebrew and Indian words, which exprefs delineating, writing, decy-
pherir.g, marking, and painting, convey the fame literal meaning in both
languages ; as Exod. xvii. 14. nsit; oro ( Cbetbeba Sepbdre) “ delineate this
with delineations 1” and, with the Indians, Hoorefo is, in like manner, the
radical name of books, delineating, &c.; and Ootebna that for numbering,
inftead of reading. The neareft approach they can make to it, is, Anumbole
hoorefo IJhanumbolas , “ You (hall fpeak the fpeech, which is delineated.”

They call a razor, Bafpoo Sbapbe, “ A {having knifeand Sbapbe always
fignifies to lhave; probably, becaufe when they firft began to (have them-
felves, they were ridiculed by the higher, or more religious part of the peo¬
ple, for imitating that heathenifh cuftom. The Hebrew nsty ( Sbapbe )
fignifying lip, confeflion, or worfhip; which divine writ allures us, the de¬
fendants of Noah changed, when they oppofed the divine will of fettling
various parts of the earth, and built the great tower of Babel, as an emblem
of greatnefs, to get them a name *.

• SHn fignifies an eye; and Shejbapba, one-eyed; as if proceeding from the divine anger
They often change < into a.

44 On the defcent of the Ameru in Indians from the Jews.

Look fignifies fire,' and Look IJhtoboollo, “ the holy or divine fire,” or the
anger of Ifhtohoollo, “ the great, holy Onewhich nearly agrees with
the Hebrew onb, that which flames, or fcorches with vehement heat. And
it is the fcripture method of conveying to us a fenfible idea of the divine
wrath, according to the cherubic name VH, which likewife fignifies fire.
But the Perfians worlhipped the burning fire, by the name of Oromazes •*
and darknefs, or the fpirit, by that of Aramanius ; quite contrary to the re¬
ligious fyftem of the Indian Americans: and the aforefaid Indian method'
of expreffion, feems exactly to coincide with the Hebrew idiom.

Buk-Jhe-ab-ma is the name of their Indian flap, or broad flip of cloth
with which the men cover their nakednefs; but the word they ufe to ex-
prels our fort of breeches, is a compound, Balapbooka, derived from:
the Hebrew SfO, which fignifies, behind -, and the Indian Naphooka, a coat,
any kind of clothes, or covering •, Baloka fignifies, behind ; filently telling
us, they formerly wore a different fort of breeches to what they ufe at pre-
fent. They likewife fay, Neeppe-Pbtika, “ A flelh-covering.”

The father of King Saul was called Kith, “ podex;” which fignifies alfo the
rear of an army, or the hindermoft perfon, according to the Hebrew idiom.
Thus the Indians, by Kijh, exprtfs the podex of any animal—the hindermoft
perfon—the gavel-end of an houfe, and the like. Kijh Kijh, is with them a
fuperlative, and, as before hinted, ufed to convey the contempt they have
for that proper name. May not the contemptible idea the Weft-Florida-
Miflifippi Indians affix to the name of Kith, be on account of his fon’s fuc-
cefiion to the throne, at the end of the theocracy of Ifrael, and beginning a
defpotic regal government ?

The Indians, according to the ufage of the Hebrews, always prefix the
fubftantive to the adjeftive; as Netak Cbookbma , “ A good day Nakkane
and Ebo Cbookbma, “ A good, or goodly man and woman.” The former
of which is termed, in Hebrew, Toma Toil, fignifying, according to our
method of falutation, a good-day, a merry feafon, a feftival day, &c. And
the Indian appellatives are fimilarly expreft in Hebrew, Bebtobe and Ajhe-
Tobe, “ A good, goodly, difcreet, or wife man and woman.” Cbookbma ,
with the Indians, is the proper name of a comely woman, when A is prefixed
to it; as A-chookbma, “ My goodly, or beautifulthey ufe it for a warrior.

45

'fbeir names of the Deity.

when it is compounded without the A ; as Chookoma hummajhtabe, “ One
who killed a beautiful, great, red, or war-chieftain;” which is compounded
of Chookoma , comely, Hummn, red, K’N, AJh, fire, and Abe, a contraction
of Abele, fignifying grief, or forrow. Hence it appears, that becaufe
the Hebrews affixed a virtuous idea to Tobe, goodly ; the Indians call white
by the fame name, and make it the conftant emblem of every thing that is
good, according to a fimilar Hebrew cuftom. Of this the facred oracles
make frequent mention.

The Jews called that, which was the moll excellent of every thing, the
fat ; and the Indians, in like manner, fay, Oojio Neehe , “ The fat of the
pompion,” Tranche Neehe , “ The fat of the corn. Neeha is the adjeflive,
fignifying fat, from which the word Neels, “ a bear,” is derived. They
apply the word heart, only to animate beings.

As the Deity is the foul of every fyllem — and as every nation, from the
remoteft ages of antiquity, believed that they could not live well, without
fome god or other; when, therefore, we clearly underftand the name, or
names, by which any fociety of people exprefs their notions of a deity, we
can with more precifion form ideas of the nature of their religious worlhip,
and of the objeft, or objefts, of their adoration. I lhall therefore here give
a plain defcription of the names by which the Indian. Americans fpeak of
God.

IJhtohoollo is an appellative for God. Iffitohoollo points at the great-
nefs, purity, and goodnefs, of the Creator in forming ti/'N and S©'S :
it is derived from IJhto, great, which was the ufual name of God
through all the prophetic writings ; likewife, from the prefent tenfe of
the infinitive mood of the aftive verb, Ahoollo, “ I love,” and from the
preter tenfe of the paffive verb, HooJlo, which lignifies “ fanclifying,
lanflified, divine, or holy.” Women fet apart, they term, Hoollo, i. e.
fanftifying themfelves to Iffitohoollo r likewife, Netakhoollo fignifies “ a fanc-
tified, divine, or holy day and, in like manner, Ookka IIoollo, “ water
fan&ified,” &c. So that, IJhtohoollo, when applied to God, in its true radical
meaning, imports, “ The great, beloved, holy Caufewhich is exceedingly
comprehenfive, and more expreffive of the true nature of God, than the He¬
brew name Adonai, which is applicable to a human, being. Whenever the

Indians.

46 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Indians apply the epithet, compounded, to any of their own religious men,
it fignifies the great, holy, beloved, and fan&ifkd men of the Holy One.

They make this divine name point yet more ftrongly to the fupreme
author of nature; for, as 3N, fignifies father; and as the omniprefent
Spirit of the univerfe, or the holy father of mankind, is laid to dwell above,
they therefore call the immenfe fpace of the heavens, Aba, Abafe , and
Abatara: and, to diltinguifh the King of kings, by his attributes, from
their own Minggo IJhto , or great chieftains, they frequently name him
Minggo IJhto Aba, &c.; IJhto Aba , &c.; Minggo Aba, &c.; and, when they
are driving to move the paflions of the audience, IJhtoboollo Aba. The He¬
brew fervants were not allowed to call their matter or miftrefs 2N, Abba,
till they were adopted; to which cuttom St.Paul alludes, Rom. viii. 15.

They have another appellative, which with them is the myfterious, effen-
tial name of God—the tctragrammaton, or great four-lettered name—which
they never mention in common fpeech,—of the time and place, when, and
where, they mention it, they are very particular, and always with a folemn
air.

There is a fpecies of tea, that grows fpontaneoufly, and in great plenty,
along the fea-coaft of the two Carolinas, Georgia, and Eaft and Weft Florida,
which we call Topon, or Cujfeena; the Indians tranfplant, and are ex¬
tremely fond of it •, they drink it on certain ftated occafions, and in their
moft religious folemnities, with awful invocations: but the women, and chil¬
dren, and thofe who have not fuccefsfully accompanied their holy ark, pro
Aris et Focis, dare not even enter the facred fquare, when they are on this
religious duty; otherwife, they would be dry fcratched with fnakes teeth,
fixed in the middle of a fplit reed, or piece of wood, without the privilege
of warm water to fupple the Itiffened flcin.

When this beloved liquid, or fuppofed holy drink-offering, is fully
prepared, and fit to be drank, one of their Magi brings two old confecrated,
large conch-fhells, out of a place appropriated for containing the holy things,
and delivers them into the hands of two religious attendants, who, after a
wild ceremony, fill them with the fuppofed fanctifying, bitter liquid : then
they approach near to the two central red and white feats, (which the

traders

47

Their names of the Deity.

traders call the war, and beloved cabbins) (looping with their heads and
bodies pretty low i advancing a few deps in this pofture, they carry their
(hells with both hands, at an indant, to one of the mod principal men on
thofe red and white feats, faying, on a bafs key, Y'ah, quite (hort: then,
in like manner, they retreat backward, facing each other, with their heads
bowing forward, their arms acrol's, rather below their bread, and their
eyes half (hut; thus, in a very grave, folemn manner, they fing on a drong
bafs key, the awful monofyllable, O, for the fpace of a minute : then they
drike up majedic He, on the treble, with a very intent voice, as long as
their breath allows them ; and on a bafs key, with a bold voice, and (hort
accent, they at lad utter the drong myderious found, Wah, and thus finith
the great fong, or mod folemn invocation of the divine eflence. The notes
together compofe their facred, myderious name, Y-O-He-Wah.

That this feems to be the true Hebrew pronunciation of the divine eflen-
tial name, mrp, Jehovah, will appear more obvious from the found they
feem to have given their charafters. The Greeks, who chiefly copied their
alphabet from the Hebrew, had not jod , but tera, very nearly refembling the
found of our Y. The ancient Teutonic and Sclavonian dialects, have Yah as
an affirmative, and ufe the confonant W indead of V. The high importance
of the fubjedt, neceflfarily would lead thefe fuppofed red Hebrews, when fe-
parated front other people in America, to continue to repeat the favourite
name of God, YO He Wah, according to the ancient pronunciation.

Contrary to the ufage of all the ancient heathen world, the American In¬
dians not only name God by feveral drong compounded appellatives, ex-
preflive of many of his divine attributes, but likewife fay Yah at the
beginning of their religious dances, with a bowing podure of body; then
they fing Yo Yo, He He, and repeat thofe facred notes, on every reli¬
gious occafion : the religious attendants calling to Yah to enable them
humbly to fupplicate, feems to point to the Hebrew cudom of pronouncing,
n\ Yah, which likewife fignifies the divine eflence. It is well known
what facred regard the-Jews had to the four-lettered divine name, fo as
fcarcely ever to mention it, but once a year, when the high-pried went into
the holy fandtuary, at the expiation of fins. Might not the Indians copy
from them, this (acred invocation ? Their method of invoking God, in a

folemn

4 $ On the dcfcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

folemn hymn, with that reverential deportment, and fpending a full breath
on each of the two firft fyllables of the awful divine name, hath a lurpriz-
ing analogy to the Jewilh cuftom, and fuch as no other nation or people,
even with the advantage of written records, have retained.

It may be worthy of notice, that they never proftrate themfelves, nor bow
their bodies, to each other, by way of falute, or homage, though ufual with
the eaftern nations, except when they are making or renewing peace with
ftrangers, who come in the name of Yah; then they bow their bodies in
that religious folemnity—but they always bow in their religious dances,
becaufe then they fing what they call divine hymns, chiefly compofed of the
great, beloved, divine name, and addreffed to Yo He Wah. The favoured
perfons,. whom the religious attendants are invoking the divine eflence to
blcfs, hold up the (hells with both hands, to their mouths, during the awful
facred invocation, and retain a mouthful of the drink, to fpirt out on the
ground, as a fuppofed drink-offering to the great felf-exiftent Giver; which
they offer at the end of their draught. If any of the traders, who at thofe
times are invited to drink with them, were to negleft this religious obferv-
ance, they would reckon us as godlefs and wild as the wolves of the defart *.
After the fame manner, the fuppofed holy waiters proceed, from the higheft
to the lowed, in their fynedrion : and, when they have ended that awful fo¬
lemnity, they go round the whole fquare, or quadrangular place, and col¬
led tobacco from the fandified finners, according to ancient cuftom ; “ For
they who ferve at the altar, muft live by the altar.’*

The Cheerake method of adjuring a witnefs to declare the truth, ftrongly
corroborates the former hints, and will ferve as a key to open the vowels
of the great, myfterious, four-lettered name of God. On fmall affairs, the
judge, who is an elderly chieftain, afks the-witnefs, Cbeeakobga (Jko ?) “ Do
you lie i” To which he anfwers, Anfa Kai-e-kob-ga, “ I do not lie." But

* The Mofaic law injoined the offering of libations; as Excti. xxix. and Numt. xv. And
the heathens, efpecially the ancient Greeks and Romans, mimicked a great deal of the Mofaic
inftitution. They obferved the like ceremonies in their idolatrous facrifices. The priells
only tailed, and then fpilt fome wine, milk, or other liquor, in honour of the Deity, to
whom the facriiice was offered. Alexander is faid to have facriliced a bull to Neptune, and
to have thrown a golden veffel ufed for the libation, into the fea.

_

when

49

Their manner of adjuration.

when the judge will fearch into fomething of material confequence, and ad¬
jures the witnefs to fpeak the naked truth, concerning the point in queftion,
he fays “OE A (Jko ?)" “ What you have now faid, is it true, by this
llrong emblem of the beloved name of the great felf-exiftent God ?”
To which the witnefs replies, O E A, “ It is true, by this ftrong pointing
fymbol of YO He Wah.” When the true knowledge of the affair in dif-
pute, feerns to be of very great importance, the judge fwears the witnefs
thus: O E A— Yah (Jko?) This moll facred adjuration imports, “ Have
you now told me the real truth by the lively type of the great awful name
of God, which defcribes his neceffary exiftence, without beginning or end ;
and by his felf-exiftent literal name, in which I adjure you.” The witnefs
anfwers, O E A— Yah, “ I have told you the naked truth, which I moft
folemnly fwear, by this ftrong religious pidture of the adorable, great, di¬
vine, felf-exiftent name, which we are not to prophane; and I likewife atteft
it, by his other beloved, unfpeakable, facred, effential name.”

When we confider that the period of the adjurations, according to their
idiom, only afks a queftion ; and that the religious waiters fay Yah, with a
profound reverence, in a bowing pofture of body, immediately before they
invoke YO He Wah, —the one reflefts fo much light upon the other, as
to convince me, that the Hebrews, both invoked and pronounced the divine
tetragrammaton, YO He Wah, and adjured their witneffes to give true
evidence, on certain occaflons, according to the Indian ufage; otherwife,
how could they poflibly, in a favage ftate, have a cuftom of fo nice and
ftrong-pointing a ftandard of religious caution ? It feems exaflly to coincide
with the condlift of the Hebrew witneffes even now on the like religious
occafions—who being fworn, by the name of the great living God, openly
to declare the naked truth, hold up their right hand, and anfwer, 03t*
3 DN, Amen Amen, or “ very true “ I am a moft faithful witnefs.” The
Hebrew word fignifies faithful, and by being repeated twice, becomes a fu-
perlative, and O E A— Yah is one of the higheft degree.

St. John, in his gofpel, according to the Hebrew method of adjuration,
often doubles the Amen. And the fame divine writer, at the beginning of
each of his feven epiftles, in defcribing the glorious and tranfcendant qua¬
lities of Jefus Chrift, and particularly in the epiftle to the church of
Laodicea, points at the fame cuftom, “ Thefe things faith the Amen, the
faithful and true witnefs, the beginning of the creation of God.”

The

50 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

The Cheerake ufe another expreflion, which bears a ftrong analogy to the
former method of adjuration ; though it is not fo facred in their opinion,
becaufe of one letter prefixed, and another fubjoined. The judge, in fnaall
controverfies, a(ks the witnefs. To e u (Jko ?) To which he anfwers, To e «,
or To e u bah, “ It is very true,” or “ a moft certain truth.” Such an ad¬
dition of any letter, or letters, to the vowels of the fuppofed divine, four-
lettered name, feems to proceed from a ftrift religious cuftom of propor¬
tioning them to the circumftances of perlons and things, left, otherwife,
they fhould blafpheme, or prophane the emblems of the great divine name.
And the vowel U feems to allude to trot, e. One —a name of God,
figuratively—for, in their dialed, when it is a period, it makes a fuperla-
tive, according to their ufage in applying the reft of the divine appella¬
tives, fymbols, or names.

They efteem To e u bab fo ftrong an aflent to any thing fpoken, that
Cheefto Kaiebre, “ the old rabbet,” (the name of the interpreter) who for¬
merly accompanied feven of their head warriors to London, allured me, they
held there a very hot debate, in their fubterranean lodgings, in the dead
hours of the night of September the 7th, 1730, whether they fhould not
kill him, and one of the war-chieftains, becaufe, by his mouth, the other
anfwered To e u bab to his Majefty’s fpeech, wherein he claimed, not only
their land, but all the other unconquered countries of the neighbouring
nations, as his right and property. When they returned home, they were
tried again, by the national fanhedrim, for having betrayed the public faith,
and fold their country, for acknowledged value, by firm compaft, as repre-
fentatives of their country •, they having received a certain quantity of goods,
and a decoying belt of white wampum : but, upon ferious deliberation,
they were honourably acquitted, becaufe it was judged, the interpreter was
bound, by the like oath, to explain their fpeeches; and that furprife, inad¬
vertence, felf-love, and the unufual glittering (how of the courtiers, extorted
the facred aflent, To e u bab, out of the other’s mouth, which fpoiled the
force of it; being much afraid, left they lhould fay fomething amifs, on
account of the different idiom of the Englifh, and Indian American dia-
lefts *. As there is no alternative between a falfhood, and a lie, they

ufually

* The ftrong fentiments, natural wit, and intenfe love of liberty, which the Indians ftiew
themfelves poffeffed of, in a high degree, lhould direct our colonifts to purfue a different me¬
thod

Their manner of adjuration. j [

ufually tell any perfon, in plain language, “ You lie,” as a friendly negative
to his reputed untruth. The cheerful, inoffenfive old rabbet told me, he
had urged to them, with a great deal of earneftnefs, that it was certain
death by our laws, to give his Majefty the lie to his face; and cautioned
them to guard their mouths very ftrongly from uttering fuch dangerous
language: otherwife, their hearts would become very heavy, and even
forrowful to death ; as he would be bound as firmly by our holy books, to
relate the bare naked truth, as they were by repeating To e u ah, or even
O-E-A— Yah.

The Chikkafah and Choktah method of adjuring a witnefs to give true
evidence, is fomething Gmilar to the former atteftation, by To e u hah: when
they afk them, whether they do not lie, they adjure them thus, Chikloojka
ke-e-u Chua? The termination implies a queftion of the fecond perfon, An¬
gular number, and the whole oath fignifies literally, “ Do not you lie ? Do
you not, of a certain truth ?” To which he anfwers by two ftrong nega¬
tive afieverations, Akloojia Ke-e-u-que-Ho, “ I do not lie; I do not, of a
certain truth.” When the Choktah are averring any thing a iked of them,
they affert it, by laying Yah. This lhews their ignorance of the vowels of
the fuppofed divine four-lettered name, in comparifon of the Cheerake;
and that they are become lefs religious, by prophaning the divine name.
Yah; which confirms me in the opinion, that the Cheerake Indians were
a more civilized people than any of the other neighbouring Indians.

We are told that the northern Indians, in the time of their rejoicings, re¬
peat YO Ha Han ; which, if true, evinces that their corruption advances,
in proportion as they are diftant from South-America, and wanted a

thod of contraEling Indian covenant! than they have commonly ufed. Firfl, let them confider
'the general good of the community, who chofe them for that end; and then make a plain
agreement with the Indians, adapted to their fixed notion of liberty, and the good of their
country, without any deluding fophifms. If they do not keep thcfe efiential points of
amity in view, we fliall fare again, as hath Georgia; for, by a childilh treaty with the
Mufkohge Indians, when defeated An. 1715, its moil northern boundaries are confined
to the head of the ebbing and flowing of Savannah river. We are faid to have flouriflied
off very commodious Indian treaties in the couxcil-fanh, with the Mulkohge, which the
community know nothing of, except a few plain common particulars, as they fome years
fince declared.

H z

j 2 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

friendly intercourfe with thofe who had an open communication with thofe
fouthern regions *. Living in moderate high latitudes, would naturally pre¬
vent them from finking into effeminacy, and infpire them with martial tem¬
pers, (as we are told of the Chili Indians) without being originally a
bloodier people than any of the fouthern nations. However, we fliould be
fparing of credit to what unfkilful writers have carefully copied from each
other, and tranfmitted to the learned world.

I fhall hereafter, under another argument, fhew, that the Indians va-
rioufly tranfpofe, fhorten, and lengthen, each fyllable of the great divine
name, YO He Wah, in a very extraordinary manner, when they are finging
and dancing to, and before, the divine eflencfc: and that they commonly
derive fuch words as convey a virtuous idea, from, or compound them
with that divine, effential name.

I (hall now fhew a farther parity, between the Hebrew language, and the
Aboriginal American dialefts.

Pujhkocjh fignifies an infant, Neetta a bear, Najfooba a wolf, &c.-- By

joining the word Oojhe, to the end of the names of animals, it makes a

* They who have a dcfire to fee the genuine oratory of the Indians, may find it partly ex¬
hibited to the public, by the laborious Mr. Colden, mollly in the manner, as I am told, he
found it in the council-books. As that gentleman is an utter ltranger to the language and
cuftoms of the Indians, it was out of his power to do juftice to the original. Their fpeech, in
general, abounds with bolder tropes and figures than illiterate interpreters can well compre¬
hend, or explain. In the moll efiential part of his copied work, he committed a very mate¬
rial blunder, by writing in the firft edition, the Indian folemn invocation, YO Ha Han,

I was well allured by the intelligent Sir William Johnfon, and the Ikilful, benevolent, pious,
and reverend Mr.John Ogilvie, that the northern Indians always pronounce it YO He A 'Ah;
and fo it is inferted in the fecond edition. In jullice to this valuable luminary of the church,
and the worthy laity of the city of New-York, I mull obferve, that, while the reft of his fa-
cerdotal brethren were much blamed for neglecting their office of teaching, and inftead
thereof, were militating for an cpifcopatt , that gentleman was univerfally beloved by
all ranks of people. He fpent his time, like a true fervant of God, in performing the
various duties of his facred office; and had the utmoft pleafure in healing breaches, both
in public fociety, and in private families. Great numbers of the poor negroe Haves, were
isllruclcd by him in the principles of chriftianity, while the other clergymen were eamcftly
employed in diflurbing the quiet of the public, fir the fake of their favourite Peter’s pence.

i diftinttioni.

53

The parity of their language .

diftin&ion; as NaJJoob-ooJhe , a wolf-cub, Neetl'-oojbe a bear-cub : but though
the word Oopbe Ggnifies a dog, as an exception to their general method
of fpeech, they call a puppy Oopbijhik, becaufe he is fo domeftic, or fo-
ciable, as pty\ to kifs, or fondle. In like manner, Pijhi fignifies milk; and
Pifljik a woman’s breaft, or the udder of any animal; as the young ones,
by killing, or fucking, lhade the bread, '9, with their mouth, and thereby
receive their nourilhment. With the Hebrews, 13V (Oopbecba ) fignifies
active, or reftlefs: which, according to the Indian idiom, expreffes the
quality of a dog ; Oopbe is therefore the name of this animal, and their
period denotes a limilarity, according to the ufage of the Hebrews.

Shale and Sbatera, fignify to carry, Sbapore, a load. The former word
confifts of Sbeth and Ale. llleb imports dead, and Kaneba loft. They fay Shat
Kaneba, to carry a thing quite away, or to Canaan.—Likewife, Illebt Kaneba ,
literally, dead, and loft, or probably, gone to Canaan. Several old Indian
American towns are called Kanaai ; and it hath been a prevailing notion
with many Jews, that when any of their people died in a ftrange land, they
palled through the caverns of the earth, till they arrived at Canaan, their
attractive centre. And the word Oobea, likewife imports dead, or cut off
by O E A, or Yohewah ; for they firmly believe, as before hinted, they
cannot outlive the time the Deity has preferibed them. They likewife fay,
Hajfe OokklTlle Cheele, “ the fun is, or has been, caufed to die in the water,”
i. e. fun-let. When they would fay, “ Do not obfeure, or darken me,”
they cry IJh-ookkille Chtnna, verbatim, “ Do not occafion IJh, me, to become
like the fun, dead in the water.” They call the new moon, Hajfe Awabta,
“ the moon is called upon to appear by Yohewah which plainly Ihews,
that they believe the periodical revolutions of the moon to be caufed, and
the fun every day to die, or be extinguifhed in the ocean, by the conftant
laws of God. When we alk them, if to-day’s fun is drowned in the weftern
ocean, how another can rife out of the eaftern ocean to-morrow ? they only
reply, Pilla Tammi, or Tammi mung ; or fuch is the way of God with his
people. It feems to be a plain contraction of !T and 'DON Ammi ; which
was the name of llrael during the theocracy. Befides, Aeemmi fignifies, “ I
believe;” as the peculiar people believed in Yohewah. And it likewife
imports, “ I am the owner of, &c.”—according to the Hebrew idiom,
the words and meaning'nearly agree.

F.ette.

54 On the dejcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Eette fignifies wood; and they term any kind of cheft, box, or trunk,
Eette Oobe •, and frequently, Oole -, which feems to point to the “ ark of the
purifier,” that was fo fatal to the laity even to touch; a ftrong emanation
of the holy fire, light, and fpirit, refiding in it, as Well as in that which the
priefts carried to war, againft the devoted enemy.

The Chikkafah fettled a town, in the upper, or mod weftern part of the
Mulkohge country, about 300 miles eaftward of their own nation, and called
it Ooe-afa ; which is derived from O E A, and dfa, “ there,” or “ here, is >”
i. e. “ YO He Wah prefides in this place.” And, when a perfon is re¬
moving from his former dwelling, they afk him, IJh-ooe a (turn ?) “ are you
removing hence, in the name, or under the patronage, of YO Ha Wah ?”
And it both fignifies to afeend, and remove to another place. As, O E A,
Aba, the omniprefent father of mankind, is faid to dwell above, fo the Indian
hopes to remove there from hence, by the bounty of Uhtohoollo, the great
holy One : according to their fixed ftandard of fpeech, had they made
any nearer approach to O E A, the ftrong religious emblem of the beloved
four-lettered name, it would have been reckoned a prophanation.

Phutchik fignifies a ftar, and Oonna “ he is arrived but Phutcbik Oomache ,
■“ the morning-ftar j” becaufe he is the forerunner of light, and refembles the
fun that reflefts it. And Oonna-hah fignifies to-morrow, or it is day. The
termination denotes their gladnefs, that the 'divine light had vifited them
again: and, when they are alking if it is day, they fay Onna He ( tak ?).
The laft mpnofyllable only alks a queftion ; and the fasminine gender treble
note is the mid fyllable of the great divine name—which may refleft
fome light upon the former obfervations.

Although the Hebrews had a proper name for the human foul, calling it
tt’BJ j yet in Prov. xx. 27, it is called mm *U, “ The candle, or lamp of
•God 5” and figuratively applied, it conveys a ftrong idea of the human
foul: Thus the Indians term it, Nana Ifitohoollo, “ fomething of, or a
relation to, the great holy One-,*’ very analogous to the former method
of exprefling the rational principle, in allufion to the celeftial cherubic
name eN, sljhe. Fire, as they believe the Deity refides in the new year’s,
fuppofed holy fire. Becaufe IJh , Man, received his breath from the
divine infpiraiion of the beneficent creator Yah, they term the human
1 fpecies.

55

The parity of their language.

fpecies, in their ftrong-pointing language. Tibiae ; which, though dif¬
ferent from the divine, effential, four-lettered name, in found lias n\ Yah,
for its radix. But, becaufe the monkey mimics Tabweb , or the rational
creation, more than any other brute, in features, lhape, gedure, and
actions i in proportion to the limilitude, they give him a funilar name,
Sbaw-we. This indeed makes a near approach to IJh and Tab , and to Tabwe ;
but it wants the radix of both, and confequently bears no fignification of
relation to either. While they urge, that the regularity of the a&ions of
the brute creatures around them, exprefles a nice underftanding or infiinft;
they deny, their being endued with any portion of the reafoning, arid living
principle, but bear only a faint allufion to Nana IJbtohoollo, the rational
foul. The moll intelligent among them, fay the human foul was not made
of clay, like the brute creation, whofe foul is only a corporeal fubdance,
attenuated by heat, and thus rendered invifible.

Through a feeming war-contempt of each other, they all ufe a favou¬
rite termination to their adjeftives, (very rarely to their fubdantives)
and fometimes to their verbs ; efpecially when they are flourithing away,
in their rapid war-fpeeches, which cn fuch occafions they always repeat
with great vehemence. I lhall give a fpecimen of two words, in the dia¬
lects of our fouthern Indians. Rl is the favourite period of the Katahba
Indians } as Mare-r'i, or IVabre-r'i, “ Good,” and Maretawab ri, or Wab-
retawab-r'i ., “ bed,” or very good i Wab, the lad fyllable of the great di¬
vine name, is evidently the radix, and magnifies the virtuous idea to a
fuperlative. In like manner, Sbegare-Wabr'i, “ not bad," but Sbeekare-r'i ,
fignifies “ bad.” With thefe Indians, She eke is the name of a buzzard,
which they reckon to be a mod impure fowl, as it lives on putrid carcafles}
upon which account, they choofe that word to convey a vicious idea.

Quo is the founding termination of the Cheerake; as Seobjla-quo, “ good,”
— and Q-Je-tt, “ bed,” or very good. Here they feem to have dud bully
chofen the vowels:—As the following words will illudrate, Tonate-u ,
“ very honed,” or virtuous, and T-O-U , “ Evil,” or very bad. To cor¬
roborate the hints I gave, concerning the Indian names of monkey,
and the human fpecies, let it be obferved, that though their words con¬
vey a virtuous or vicious idea, in proportion as they are condituted out of

any

56 On the defcent of the American Indians from the yews.

any of their three divine names, Yohewah, Yah, and Ishtohoolio; or
contain the vowels of the great facred name, yet the aforefaid word Y-O-U,
is fo far from being a deviation from that general cuftom, it is an
emphatical, and emblematical term to exprefs evil, by the negative of good •,
for, as it is the only fubflantive or adjeftive of that word, it is a
ftrong exprefiive fymbol of the nature, and phyfical caufe of moral evil, by
feparating TO, the firft fyllable of the divine four-lettered name into two
fyllables; and adding U, as a fuperlative period, to make it malum ma-
lorum.

Sbtb is the founding criterion of the Mufkohge, or Creek Indians,—a
kind of cant jargon, for example Ileettla-Jbeb , fignifies “ good,” and
Heettla-wab-E-Jheb, “ very good according to their univerfal ftandard of
fpeech, it becomes a fuperlative, by fubjoining that part of the divine name
to it. With the Chikkafah and Choktah, Heettla fignifies dancing; pro¬
bably becaufe that religious exercife was good and highly pleafing to them,
when, according to ancient cuftom, they danced in their fymbolical circles,
to, and before, YO He Wah. With the former, Apullmvbage Jheb , exprefies
“ bad,” or evil, thereby inverting the divine letters.

Skeb is the favourite termination of the Chikkafah and Choktah—as
Chookoma jkeb, “ good,” CbookomaJlo-Jkeb (alluding to IJhto) “ very good
and Ookproo-Jkeb, “ bad.” Likewife, Ookprocfio, “ worft,” or very bad; for,
by annexing the contrafled initial part of the divine name, IJhtohoollo, to
the end of it, it is a fuperlative. Thefe remarks may be of fervice to the
inhabitants of our valuable and extenfive barriers, in order to difeover the
national name of fhofe favages, who now and then cut them off.

Ookproo-fe , with thofe Indians, fignifies “ accurfed the two laft letters
make only a fameeb, which implies a neuter pafTive : and, as Oakproe is the
only fubftantive or adjective they ufe to exprefs “ evil,” by doubling the
leading vowel of the four-lettered divine name, both at the beginning and
end of the word 5 may we not conjefture at its origin, as glancing at the in-
troduftion of fin or evil by man’s overatting, or innovating, through a too
curious knowledge, or choice ? “ Ye fhall be as gods,” and, in order to
gain the refemblance, they ate what was forbidden.

The

57

The idiom and parity of tbeir language.

The greater number of their compounded words, (and, I believe, every
one of them) which convey a virtuous or pure idea, either have fome
fyllables of the three divine names, or vifibly glance at them-, or have
one or two vowels of the facred name, Yo He Wah, and generally
begin with one of them •, which I lhall exemplify, with a few Chikkafah
and Cheerake words. IJfe-Abowwe , “ Deer Yanafa, Buffalo, which as it
begins with the divine name, Yah, contains no more of their beloved
vowels : in like manner, fVahka , “ cattle IJhke-Oochea , “ a mother.”
This laft feems to be drawn from IJha, the mother of all mankind. Ehi
and Enekia fignify “ a woman.” The latter is derived from the adtive verb,
Akekiubab, fignifying “ to love ardently,” or like a woman; Nakkane AJkai ,
“ a man.” From this word, the Chikkafah derive Nakke, the name of an
arrow or bullet: and with the Cheerake AJkai Ggnifies “ to fears” as all the
American brute animals were afraid of man, &c.

Words, which imply either a vicious or impure idea, generally be¬
gin with a confonant, and double thofe favourite vowels, either at the
beginning and end,- or in the middle, of fuch words; as Najfooba JVoheea,
“ a wolf.” With the Chikkafah, EaJJooba Ggnifies “ bewildered Patche,
“ a pigeon,” and Patcbe EaJJooba, “ a turtle-dove.” Score and Sheeke
are the Chikkafah and Cheerake names of a “ Turkey-buzzard Cboola
and Cboocb'ola , “ a fox s” Shookqua and Seequa, an “ opofium,” or hog;
Ookoonne , “ a polecat s” Ookoonna, “ a badger " Cbookphe and Cheefto,
“ a rabbet.” The laft word is derived from the defective verb Cbejii,
“ forbear,” or, do not meddle with; and rabbets were prohibited to the
Ifraelites. In like manner, Ooppa and Ookookoo, “ a night-owl •" Oophe and
Keera, “ a dog ■" Nahoolla and U-nebka, “ white people,” or “ impure ani¬
mals.” The Chikkafah both corrupt and tranfpofe the laft part of the divine
name, Ifhtohoollo 5 and the Cheerake invert their magnifying termination
U, to convey an impure idea. And through the like faint alluGon to this
divine name, Hoollo GgniGes “ idols, piftures, or images j” a (harp-pointed
farcafm 1 for the word, Hoollo, Ggnifies alfo “ menftruous women,” who
were for the time an equal abomination to the Ifraelites, and with whom
they were to have no communion. Thefe two words feem to bear the fame
analogy to each other, as bit, Al, a name of God, and rib It, Aleb, fignifying
the covenant of the holy One to redeem man, and mbit, Aloah, execrated,
or accurfed of God, as idols were.

With

5 8 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

With the Cheerake, Awwa, or Amma , fignifies “ water,” and Ammoi,
“ a river-,” not much unlike the Hebrew. They likewife term fait, Hawa ;
and both the conjunction copulative, and “ to marry,” is Tawa. The name
of a wife is Aviah ; which written in Hebrew, makes nin, Eve, or Eweh, the
name of our general mother. So that the Indian name of a wife, is literally
and emphatically, his And, “ One abfolutely needful for the well-being of
IJh, or man -,” IJhtawa Jim ?) fignifies “ have you married ? ” We gain
additional light from the ftrong fignificant appellative, IJh-ke, “ a mother;”'
which is an evident contraction of Ifha, the mother of Tawe, or man¬
kind, with their favourite termination, Jke, fubjoined; the word becomes
thus fmoother than to pronounce it at its full length, IJha-Jke. If we
confider that the Hebrews pronounced 1, Vau, when a confonant, as IE, here,
is a very ftrong, exprefiive gradation, through thofe various words, up to
the divine,, necefiary,. And, who formed and connected every fyftem of be¬
ings ; or to the Hebrew divine original, YO He Wah : at the fame time,.,
we gain a probable reafon why fo many proper names of old Indian places,
in South-Carolina, and elfewhere, along the great continent, begin with our
Anglo-Saxon borrowed chr rafter, W\ as Wampee, IE at boo, Wappoo, Wad-
mold, WaJJam'efdh, &c. Chance is fluctuating, and can never aCt uni¬
formly.

To elucidate the aforefaid remarks, it may not be amifs to obferve, that, - ,
according to the Ifraelitifh cuftom both of mourning, and employing
mourners for their dead, and calling weeping, the lifting up of their voices
to God, the Choktah literally obferve the fame cuftom ; and both they and
the Chikkafah term a perfon, who through a pretended religious prin¬
ciple bewails the dead, Tah ah , “ Ah God! ” and one, who weeps-
on other occafions, Tdhma, “ pouring out fait tears to, or'before God;”
which is fimilar to 'Em. When a perfon weeps very bitterly, they fay,
r ahmijhto, which is a compounded word, derived from m, and 'Dl, with
the initial part of the divine name, IJhtohoollo, fubjoined, to magnify -
the idea, according to the ufage of the Hebrews. When the
divine penman is deferibing the creation, and the ftrong purifying
wind, which fwept along the furface of the waters, he calls it, “ the
air, or fpirit;” and, more fignificantly, “ the wind of God,” or a
very great wind: and, in other parts of the divine oracles, great hail, a
7 great.

•59

The idiom and parity of their language.

.great lion, and the like, are by the fame figure, called the hail of God.
They alfo apply the former words, Yab-ab , Yab-ma , and the like, to
exprefs the very fame ideas through all the moods and tenfes ; as
Cbeyaaras, “ I fhall weep for you Sawa Cbeyaara Avia, “ Wife, I will
not weep for you.” And when the violence of their grief for the deceafcd,
is much abated, the women frequently, in their plaintive notes, repeat
Yo He (/a) JVab , To He (ta) }Veb, Yb He ta Ha-, Yo He ta Heb ; with a re¬
ference probably to the Hebrew cuftom of immoderately weeping and wail¬
ing for their dead, and invoking the name of God on fuch doleful occaftons;
and which may have induced thefe fuppofed red Hebrews to believe the like
conduit, a very effential part of religious duty. Neetak Yab-ab fignifies “ a
fait day,” becaufe they were then humbly to fay Ah, and afflift their fouls
before Yah. In like manner. Yah-Ale fignifies “ one who weeps for hav¬
ing killed, or murdered another.” Its roots are rp. Yob, their continual war-
period, and, tON, Abele, fignifying “ forrow or mourning for, as killing,
or murdering, is an hoftile aft, it cannot be drawn from rott, which fignifies
brotherly love, or tender affeftion. Nana-Yah-Abe defcribes a perfon weep¬
ing, while another is killing him. Now, as Nana is “ a relation,” Yab
« God,” and Abe as above, the true meaning feems to be, “ One, like
bleeding Abele, weeping to God.” Likewife their name for fait, Hawa,
may inform us, that though at prefent they ufe no fait in their religious
offerings, they forbore it, by reafon of their diftant fituation from the
.fea-fhore, as well as by the danger of blood attending the bringing it
through an enemy’s country; for, according to the idiom of their lan¬
guage, if they had not thought fait an effential part of the law of facri-
ficature, they moft probably, would not have derived it from the two laft
fyllables of the great divine name; whereas they double the confonant,
when they exprefs water, without drawing it from the clear fountain of liv¬
ing Waters, YO He Wah.

With the Hebrews, as before obferved *, Tepbale, fignifies “ fhak-
ing or pulling of the hand, cohefion, conjunftion, or entering into fociety
and “ praying, or invoking.” In conformity to that original fiandard,
when the Indians would exprefs a ftrong, lading friendfhip, they have no

Page 42.
I 2

other

6 o On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

other way, than by faying, Abarattle-la phetna cbemammbole, “ I lhall firmly
fhake hands with your difcourfe, or fpeech.”

When two nations of Indians are making, or renewing peace with each
other, the ceremonies and folemnities they ufe, carry the face of great an¬
tiquity, and are very ftriking to a curious fpedlator, which I ftiall here relate,
fo far as it fuits the prcfent fubjedt. When flrangers of note arrive near
the place, where they defign to contraft new friendlhip, or confirm their old
amity, they fend a meflenger a-head, to inform the people of their amicable
intention. He carries a fwan’s wing in his hand, painted all over with ftreaks
of white clay, as an expreflive emblem of their embaffy. The next day, when
they have made their friendly parade, with firing off their guns and whoop¬
ing, and have entered the beloved fquare, their chieftain, who is a-head of the
reft, is met by one of the old beloved men, or magi, of the place. He
and the vifitant approach one another, in a bowing pofture. The former
fays. To, IJh la cbu Anggona ? “ Are you come a friend in the name of
God ?” Or, “ Is God with you, friend ?” for, To is a religious contraftion
of Tobewah,—Ifl> “ the man," La a note of joy, Cbu a query, and Anggona
“ a friend.” The other replies. Tab — Arahre-O, Anggona, “ God is with
me, I am come, a friend, in God’s name.” The reply confirms the mean¬
ing of the queftionary falute, in the manner before explained. The
magus then grafps the ftranger with both his hands, around the wrift of
his right hand, which holds fome green branches—again, about the elbow
—then around the arm, clofe to his fhoulder, as a near approach to the
heart. Then his immediately waving the eagles tails over the head of
the ftranger, is the ftrongeft pledge of good faith. Similar to the Hebrew
word, Pbale with the Indians, fignifies “ to wave,” and likewife to
ftiakC; for they fay, Skooba—Pbale, “ fhaking one’s head.” How far the
Indian oath, or manner of covenanting, agrees with that of the Hebrews,
on the like folemn occafion, I refer to the intelligent reader. Their method
of embracing each other, feems to refembfe alfo that cuftom of the Hebrews,
when a ftranger became furety for another, by giving him his wrift; to
which 9olomon alludes, “ If thou haft ftricken hand with the ftranger, &c.”
—Their common method of greeting each other, is analogous with the
above; the holt only fays, IJh-la Cbu ? and the gueft replies, Arahre-O,
“ I am come in the name c£0 E A,” or Yo He Wah.

When

Their nervous and empbatical Jlyle. 61

When 0 is joined to the end of words, it always denotes a fuperlative,
according to their univerfal figurative abbreviations of the great beloved
name ; thus with the Chikkafah, IJfe, “ deer,” and IJfe-O, “ very great
deer Yanafa, “ a buffalo,” Yanas-O , “ a very extraordinary great buffalo
which is, at leaft, as ftrong a fuperlative, as bti n'2 bit, fignifying “ the
houfe of the Omnipotent,” or “ the temple.”

With the Cheerake Indians, A (with to) howwe fignifies “ a great deer-
killer it is compounded of Ahnwwe, “ a deer,” Wah —the period of the
divine name, and Ta, a note of plurality. The title, “ the deer-killer of
God for the people,” was, fince my time, very honourable among them, as
its radical meaning likewife imports. Every town had one folemnly
appointed; him, whom they faw the Deity had at fundry times bleffed with
better fuccefs than the reft of his brethren, in fupplying them with an holy
banquet, that they might eat, and rejoice, before the divine effence. But
now it feems, by reafon of their great intercourfe with foreigners, they
have left off that old focial, religious cuftom ; and even their former noted
hofpitality. I would alfo obferve, that though neceflity obliged them to
apply the bear’s-greafe, or oil, to religious ufes, they have no fuch phrafe
as {Wah ta) eeona ; not accounting the bear fo clean an animal as the
deer, to be offered, and eaten in their religious friendly feafts ; where they
folemnly invoked, ate, drank, fung, and danced in a circular form, to, and
before, YO He Wah. .

The Indian dialefts, like the Hebrew language, have a nervous and enl-
phatical manner of expreffion.—The Indians do not perfonify inanimate ob-
jefts, as did the oriental heathens, but their ftyle is adorned with images,
comparifons, and ftrong metaphors like the Hebrews ; and equal in allego¬
ries to any of the eaftern nations. According to the ages of antiquity, their
war-fpeeches, and public orations, always affume a poetical turn, not unlike
the found of the meafures of the celebrated Anacreon and Pindar. Their '
poetry is feldom exaft in numbers, rhymes, or meafure : it may be
compared to profe in mufic, or a tunable way of fpeakrng. • The period is
always accompanied with a founding vehemence, to inforce their mufical
fpeech: and the mufic is apparently defigned to pleafe the ear, and affeft
the paflions.

After-

tz On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

After what hath been faid of their language, it may be proper here to
ilhew how they accent the confonants: I lhall range them in .the order of
our alphabet, except thofe they pronounce after our manner. When CH
‘begins a word, or is prefixed to a vowel, it conveys a foft found, as Cbaa,
“ high j” but otherwile it is guttural: as is D, which is exprefll-d by fix¬
ing the tip of the tongue between the teeth, as Dawi , for David. G is
always guttural, as we accent Go. They cannot pronounce Gn ; and they
have not the Hb, neither can it be exprefied in their dialetts, as their lead¬
ing vowels bear the force of guttural confonants. They have not the Jon,
as I can any way recoiled, or get information of; nor can they repeat it,
any nearer than Cbot. They pronounce K, as in Ko ; L and N, as D — S,
by fixing the tongue to the lower teeth j T like D, as in the old Hibernian,
or Celtic affirmative, Ta. They cannot pronounce V, or X ; they call the
governor of Moveel, (Mobiiie) Goweno-Moweeleb: and they have not a
word which begins or ends with X. KS are always divided into two fyllables ;
as Hak-fe, “ mad,” Sec. They have not' the letter Z ; much lefs any fuch
harlh found as 7z, although they have 77. As they ufe the Hebrew confo¬
nants T and IF, in their moft folemn invocation YO He Wah, inftead of the
prefent Hebrew Jod and Vau ; fo they feem to exclude them intirely out of
their various diale&s : the pronunciation therefore of the Hebrew charaders,
which are fuppofed to convey the other founds, they are unacquainted with;
and thofe which feem to be tranfpofed, may be clearly afeertained by perfons
of proper capacity and leifure, by comparing a fufficient number of Hebrew
and Indian words together. The Indian accents, Oo , and O, Qu, and 77,
may, prove a pretty good key to fpeculative enquirers.

77 often occur in their words; as Tlumla, “ to bleed with a lancet, to
bore, fcoop, or make any thing hollow and Heettla , “ to dance.” And
the South-Americans, we are told, had likewife the fame found, as in that
national name, 7 lajkala: it feems to have been univerfal over the extenfive
continent. And, from a fimilarity of the Hebrew manners, religious
rites, civil and martial cuftoms, we have a ftrong preemptive proof,
that they ufed the aforefaid double vowels, and likewife a fingle vowel,
as a termination, to give their words a foft accent: and it is plain to me,
that the Hebrew language did not found., fo harlh, as it is now commonly
exprefied, but like the American dialers it was interfperfed with vowels,

and

Their nervous and emphaticalJlyle . 63

and a vowel was commonly fubjoined to each word, for the fake of a foft
cadence ; as Abele , and Ale , indead of bait, Abel, and bit, Al, &c.

The Engliih charafters cannot be brought any nearer to the true pro¬
nunciation of the Indian words, than as above fet down: fo. that former
writers have notorioufly ftrayed, by writing conjefturally, or taking things
on the wing of fame. What Indian words we had, being exceedingly
mangled, either by the fault of the prefs, or of torturing pens, heretofore
induced Ikilful perfons to conjefture them to be hieroglyphical charafters,
in imitation of the ancient Egyptian manner of writing their chronicles.

The Indians exprefe themfelves with a great deal of vehemence, and with -
Ihort paufes, in z\\ their fet fpeeches; but, in common difcourfe, they ex-
prefs themfelves according to our ufual method of fpeech, only when they
l'coltf each other: which I never obferved, unlefs they were intoxicated with
fpiritous liquors, or cafually overheard a hulband when fober in his own fa¬
mily. They always aft the part of a ftoic philofopher in outward appear¬
ance, and never fpeak above their natural key. And in their philofophic
way of reafoning, their language is the more lharp and biting, like keen
irony and fatyr, that kills whom it praifes. They know, that thus
they correft and fubdue the firft boilings of anger ; which, if unchecked,
proves one of the moll: dangerous paffions to which human nature is
fubjeft. So that remote favages, who have heard only the jarring
fcreeches of night-owls, and the roaring voices of ravenous beads of prey,
in this refpeft give, lelfons, and fet a worthy example to our mod civilized
nations..

I have heard feveral eloquent Indian leaders, jud as they were ready
to fet off for war, to ufe as bold metaphors and allegories in their
fpeeches — and images almod as full and animating, as the eloquent
penman of the old divine book of Job, even where he is painting,-
with his drong colours, the gladnefs and contempt of the beautiful
war-horfe, at the near approach of the enemy. I heard one of their
captains, at the end of his oration for war, tell the warriors that dond
outermoll, he feelingly knew their guns were burning in their hands ; their
tomohawks thirdy to drink the blood of their enemy; and their trudy

64 Oh the defeent of the American Indians from the Jews.

arrows impatient to be on the wing; and, left delay (hould burn their hearts
any longer, he gave them the cool refrefliing word, “ Join the holy ark,
and away to cut off the devoted enemy.” They immediately founded the
flrrill whoo-whoop, and ftruck up the folemn, awful fong, To, &c.

In Virginia, refides the remnant of an Indian tribe, who call themfelves
Sepone ; which word, with the Egyptians, fignifiesthe time of putting their
wine into veffels; derived, according to mythologifts, from Sapban, “ to in-
clofe or conceal.” From.thence they formed the fictitious Tifipbone , the pu-
nilher of fins, animated with hatred; and alfo the reft of their pretended
furies, from the like circumftances of the year. Our early American writers
have bellowed on thefe Indians an emperor, according to the Spanilh copy,
calling him Pawbatan —contrary to the Indian method of ending their pro¬
per names with a vowel; and have pictured them as a feparate body of fierce
idolatrous canibals. We however find them in the prefent day, of the fame
temper and religious tenets, as the reft of the Indian Americans, in propor¬
tion to their fituation in life. Confidering the nearnels of Egypt to Judea,
they might have derived that appellative from the Egyptians,—efpecially,
as here, and in feveral of our American colonies, (particularly on the north
fide of Sufquehana river, in Penfylvania) are old towns, called Kanaa.
There was about thirty years ago, a remnant of a nation, or fubdivided
tribe of Indians, called Katiaai ; which refembles the Hebrew proper name,
3J'33, ( Canaan , or Cbanoom). Their proper names always end with a vowel:
and they feldom ufe a confonant at the end of any word *. I cannot recoiled

'their opinion of thunder and lightning. 65

any exceptions but the following, which are fonorous, and feem to be
of an ancient date; Ookkah , “ a fwan j” llpatak, “ a wing Koojbak,
“ reeds Sbeetmk , “ fand 5” Sbutik , “ the Ikies j” Phutchik , “ a ftar
Socnak , “ a kettle j” Skin, “ the eye Ai-eep , “ a pondand from which
they derive the word Ai-ee-pe, “ to bathe,” which alludes to the eaftern me¬
thod of purifying themfelves. fignifies “ a hand and there are a few
words that end with Jh ■, as Setlijh, “ a tongue,” See.

The Indians call the lightning and thunder, Eloha, and its rumbling
noife, Rowab, which may not improperly be deduced from the Hebrew.
To enlighten the Hebrew nation, and imprefs them with a reverential awe
of divine majefty, God fpoke to them at Sinai, and other times during
the theocracy, with an awful or thundering voice. The greater part of
the Hebrews feem to have been formerly as ignorant of philofophy, as are
the favage Americans now. They did not know that thunder proceeded
from any natural caufe, but from the immediate voice of Elohim, above the
clouds: and the Indians believe, according to this Hebrew fyftem of phi¬
lofophy, that Minggo IJhto Eloha Alkaiafio, “ the great chieftain of the thun¬
der, is very crofs, or angry when it thundersand I have heard them fay,
when it rained, thundered, and blew (harp, for a confiderable time, that the
beloved, or holy people, were at war above the clouds. And they believe
that the war at fuch times, is moderate, or hot, in proportion to the noife
and violence of the ftorm.

I have feen them in thefe florms, fire off their guns, pointed toward the
fky; fome in contempt of heaven, and others through religion—the former,
to (hew that they were warriors, and not afraid to die in any fhape ■, much
lefs afraid of that threatening troublefome noife : and the latter, becauie
their hearts direfled them to affift IJhtoboollo Eloha *. May not this

* The firR lunar edipfe I faw, after I lived with the Indians, was among the Cheerake,
An. 1736: and during the continuance of it, their conduit appeared very furpriaing to one
who had not feen the like before ; they all ran wild, this way and that way, like lunatics,
firing their guns, whooping and hsllooing, beating of kettles, ringing horfe-bells, and
making the moR horrid noifes that human beings poflibly could. This was the efleft of
their natural philofophy, and done to afiifi the fullering moon. And it is an opinion of fome
of the Eafl-Indians, that eclipfes are occafioned by a great monfler refembling a bull-frog,
which now and then gnaws one edge of the fun and moon, and would totally deflroy them,
only that they frighten it away, and by that means preferve them and their light.

K proceed

66 On the dcfcent of the American Indians from the yews.

proceed from an oral tradition of the war which the rebellious angels waged
againft the great Creator •, and which the ancient heathens called the war of
the giants 7 Nothing founds bolder, or is more expreflive, than the Chee •
rake name of thunder, Eentaquarojke. It points at the effects and report of
the battles, which they imagine the holy people are fighting above. The
fmall-pox, a foreign difeafe, no way connatural to their healthy climate,
they call Oonataquara, imagining it to proceed from the invifible darts of
angry fate, pointed againft them, for their young people’s vicious condufh
When they fay,I Ihall Ihoot,” their term is, Ake-rooka. The radix of
this word is in the two laft fyllables; the two firft are expreflive only of the
firft perfon Angular; as Akeeohoofa, “ I am dead, or loftand Akeeohoofera,
“ I have loft.” Rooka feems to have a reference to the Hebrew name for
the holy Spirit.

The moft fouthern old town, which the Chikkafah firft fettled, after the
Chokchoomah, Choktah, and they, feparated on our fide of the Miflifippi,
into three different tribes, they called Yaneka, thereby inverting Yahkanc y
the name of the earth ; as their former brotherhood was then turned into en¬
mity *. The bold Creeks on the oppofite, or north fide of them, they named
Yahnhbe, “ killing to God,” or devoting to death ; for the mid confonant
exprefles the prefent time. And their proper names of pcrfpns, and places,
are always expreflive of certain circumftances, or things, drawn from roots,
that convey a fixed determinate meaning.

With the Mulkohge, Algeh fignifies “ a language,” or fpeech: and, becaufe
feveral of the Germans among them, frequently fay Yah-yah , as an aflirmative,
they call them Yah-yah Algeh, “ Thofe of the blafphemous fpeeoh which
ftrongly hints to us, that they ftill retain a glimpfe of the third moral com¬
mand delivered at Sinai, “ Thou fhalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain,” or apply the name of Yohewah, thy Elohim, to vain, or
created things.

* They call the earth Yahkane, becaufe Yah formed it, as his footflool, by the power
of his word. In allufion alfo hereto, Nakkane fignifies a man, becaufe of the mother-
earth; and Nakke a bullet, or arrow. When the Cheerake aik a perfon. Is it not fo ?
they fay, Wahkane ? The divine eflential name, and Kane, are evidently the roots of thefe

Thefe

ObfervtitioXs on their language. fyj

Thefe Indians, to inculcate on their young people, that YO He Wah is
the Author of vegetation, call the growth of vegetables, IVdbriiah , “ moved
by Yohewah for Aah fignifies to walk, or move 5 and the confonant is an
expletive of diftin&ion. In like manner, IVah-ab fignifies, that “ the
fruits are ripe,” or moved to their joy, by Yohewah. They likewife call the
flying of birds, Wabkalih ; as Yohewah gave them that fwift motion. And,
when young pigeons are well feathered, they fay, Patcbe bijhjbe oolpbetahab —
Patcbe fignifies “ a pidgeon,” Hijbjhe, “ leaves, hair, or feathers,” oolpbdi
or oolpbo, “ a bud,” la, a note of plurality, and bib of admiration, to make
it a plural fuperlative. But, when the pigeons, in winter, fly to a moderate
climate in great clouds, they ufe the word, Wah-ah, which in every other
application defcribcs vegetation, and fay, Patcbe Wahab, “ the pigeons are
moved to them by Yohewah j” which feems to allude to the quails in the
wildernefs, that Were miraculoufly fent to feed the Ifraelites.

Clay bafons they call Ai-am-bo ; and their old round earthen forts, Aiambe
Chaab, this laft word fignifying “ high,” or tall: but a ftockade, or wooden
fort, they term, Hooreta ; and to infwamp, Book-IIoore, from Bookfe, “ a
fwamp,” and Hooreta, “ a fort, or place of difficult accefs.” High waters,
conveys to them, an idea only of deepnefs ; as Ookka pbcbe, “ deep
waters.” And they fay, Ookka cbookoma intaa, “ The water glides, or moves
along pleafantly, or goodly.” That the Word Intaa, has Ta-ah for its ra¬
dix, is apparent from their name for a rapid current, Yabnale, “ it runs
with a very extraordinary force;” the mid confonant is placed there,
to give the word a fuitable vehemence of expreflion — and the word is
compounded of H', Yah, and bn, Ale, two names of God. In like manner,
Yabnba fignifies “ a pleurify,” fever, and the like ; becaufe they reckon,
when Yah fays ba in anger, to any of their vicious people, he immediately
fires the blood, and makes it run violently through all the veins of the body.
AJbtabalt fignifies the reflection of the celeftial luminaries, which is com-
pofed of two of the divine names; as tt’tt, AJh, the celeftial, cherubimi-
cal name of God, fignifying fire, ta, a contraction of the conjunction Copu¬
lative, and bn, Ale, the ftrong, or omnipotent. They fay a river, or warm
victuals, is A-Jbii-pa 5 that is, the former is become fordable, and the latter
eatable. They here divide AJh into two fyllables 5 and the termination alludes
to the word, Apa, which fignifies eating.

K 2

Paah

68 On the defcent ofthe American Indians from the Jews.

Paah fignifies to raife the voice, Vocifero— for % Phi, fignifies « the
mouth,” and Aah, “ to move.” Ofae is the name of a war-leader, be-
caufe he is to move his mouth to O E A, or invoke YO He Wah, while
he carries the beloved ark to war, and is fandlifying himfelf and his party,
that they may obtain fuccefs againft the enemy. But Pae-Minggo fignifies
a far-off", or diftant chieftain. Pa yak Matiihab, is the high name of a war-
leader, derived from Paah, to raife the voice to Yah, and Tahah,
“ finifhed,” meaning his war-gradation: the M prefixed to it, makes it a
fubftantive, according to the ufage of the Hebrews. Any thing liquid they
term Ookche, from Ookka and chc: and Ookchaah fignifies “ alive.” It is
drawn from Ookka, “ water,” Ch, a note of refemblance, and Aah, “ mov¬
ing i. e. a living creature refembles moving water. In like manner,
Ookcba fignifies to awake out of fleep $ and alio to plant any vegetable
fubftance, alluding to their three different ftates—they firft were enabled
to move about—then reft, or fleep is neceflary, and alfo being planted in the
earth—but they hope that in due time, they ihall be moved upward, after
they have flept a while in the earth, by the omnipotent power of Yah.
They have an idea of a refurredtion of the dead body, according to the
general belief of the Jews, and in conformity to St. Paul’s philofophical
axiom, that corruption precedes generation, and a refurredtion.

Kecnta fignifies “ a beaver,” Ookka “ water,” and Heenna K a path
but, for a fmooth cadence, they contraft them into one word, Keentook-
bcenna ; which very expreflively fignifies “ a beaver-dam.”

The Indian compounded words, are generally pretty long; but thole
that are radical, or Ample, are moftly fhort: very few, if any of them, ex
ceed three or four fyllables. And, as their dialedts are guttural, every word
contains fome conlonants ; and thefe are the effential charadteriftics of lan¬
guage. Where they deviate from this rule, it is by religious emblems;
which obvioufly proceeds from the great regard they paid to the names of
the Deity; efpeciallv, to the four-lettered, divine, effential name, by ufing
the letters it contains, and the vowels it was originally pronounced with, to
convey a virtuous idea; or, by doubling, or tranfpofing them, to fignify
the contrary. In this they all agree. And, as this general cuftom muft
proceed from one primary caufe, it feems to allure us, they were not in,a
* favage

Obfcrvatms on tbeir language. be)

favage ftate, when they firft feparated, and variegated their dialefts, with fo
much religious care, and exaft art. Blind chance could not direft fo great
a number of remote and warring favage nations to fix on, and unite in fo
nice a religious ftandard of fpeech. Vowels are inexpreflive of things, they
only typify them; as Oo-E-A » “ to afcend, or remove:"— OEA, a moll
facred affirmation of the truth. Similar to thefe are many words, contain¬
ing only one confonant: as To-e-u, “ it is very true j” O-fe-u, “ very goodj”
Y-O-U , “ evil, or very bad ■” Y-d-a, “ he moves by the divine bounty
Nan-tie Y a , “ the divine hill, or the mount of God,” &c. If language was
not originally a divine gift, which fome of our very curious modern philo-
fophers deny, and have taken great pains to let afide; yet human beings
are polfelfed of the faculties of thinking and fpeaking, and, in propor¬
tion to their ideas, they eafdy invented, and learned words mixed with
confonants and vowels, to exprefs them. Natural laws are common and
general. The flotation of the Indian Americans, has probably been the
means of finking them into that ftate of barbarifm we now behold—Yet,
though in great meafure they may have loft their primitive language, not
one of them exprefles himfelf by the natural cries of brute-animals, any far¬
ther than to defcribe fome of the animals by the cries they make; which we
ourfelves fometimes imitate, as Choo-qua-le-qua-loo the name they give that
merry night-finging bird, which we call “ Whip her will my poor wife,”
(much like our cuckoo) fo termed from its mufical monotony. No lan¬
guage is exempt from the like Ample copyings. The nervous, polite, and
copious Greek tongue had the loud-founding Boo B'o'ao, which the Romans
imitated, by their bellowing Boves Bourn ■, and the Indians fay Pa-a, fignf-
fying the loud noife of every kind of animals, and their own loud-founding
war IVhoo Whoop. Where they do not ufe divine emblems, their words
have much articulation of confonants. Their radicals have not the infepa-
rable property of three confonants, though frequently they have; and
their words are not fo long, as ftrangers conjefturally draw them out. In-
ftead of a Ample word, we too often inlert the wild pifture of a double,
or triple-compounded one; and the conjugation of their verbs, utterly de¬
ceives us. A fpecimen of this, will (hew it with fufficient clearnefs, and
may exhibit fome ufeful hints to the curious fearchers of antiquity.

A-no-wa fignifies “ a rambler, renegadoe, or a perfon of no fettled place
of abode.” A-no'-wah, the firft perfon, and IJh-na, the fecond perfore

Angular,

j Q On the defceHt of the Americdn Indians from the Jews.

fingular, but they have not a particular pronoun for the third ; they diftin*
guilh it by cuftorii. Si-a, or Sy-ab, is “ I am i” Chee-a, or Cby-ab, “ yoU
are;” and Too-wah, “ he Is.” Ay-ah fignifies “ to go Ay-a-fa , u I remain;”
IJh-i-a-fa, “ you remain * A-fd, “ he remain's.” A-OO-E-A is a ftrong
religious emblem, fignifyirig “ 1 climb, afcend, or remove to another place
of refidence.” It points to A-nb-ival), the firft perfon fingular, and O-E-A, or
YO He Wah ; and implies, putting thetrlfelves under his divine patronage.
The beginning of that moft facred fymbol, it, by ftudlons fkill, arid a
thorough knowledge of the power of letters, placed twice, to prevent them
from applying the facred name to vain purpofes, or created things. In
like manner they fay, Naf-fap-pe-0 IJh-OO-E-A, “ You are climbing a
very great acorn-tree,” meaning an oak; for Naf-fe is the name of an acorn ;
and the mid part of that triple compounded Word, is defived from Ap-pi-la ,
“ to help;” Cbe-ap-pe-la A-iva, “ 1 do not help you.” The termination,
according to their fixed idiom, magnifies it to a fuperlative. Quoo-ran be-qua,
a noted old camping place, fourteen miles above the fcttlement of Ninety-fix,
and eighty-two below the Cheerake, fignifies, in their diaiedt, “ the large
white oaks.” Oof-fab is the name of a “ hickory-nut,” and Oof-fak Ap pe-O,
as above. Oot-te fignifies “ a chefiiut;” Noot-te, “ a tooth ;” Soot-te, “ a
pot;” and Oo-te, “ to make a fire,” which may be called an Indian type
for eating boiled chefnuts.

When they fay, “ He is removing his camp,” they exprefs it in a moll
religious manner, Al-be-na-OO-E-A. Al-be-nas-le fignifies “ I camped;”
Al-le-nas-le-cbu , “ I (liall, or will, camp but, according to their religious
mode of fpeaking, Al-be-na A-OO-E-A-re, exprelfes the former, and Albi¬
na A-OO-E-A-rd-cbu, the latter phrafe ; likewife, Al-be-na OO-E-As fignifies
C.ajlra Moveto , imperatively. It is worthy of notice, that as they have no
pronoun relative to exprefs the third perfon fingular, they have recourfe to
the firft fyllable of the eflential word, Toowab, “ He is.” In allufion to that
word, they term the conjunftion copulative, Ta-wab, and Tce-U-Wah, “ reft-
ing.” So mixed a train of nice and exaft religious terms, could not
be invented by people, as illiterate and favage as the Indians now are,
any more than happen by accident.

Though they have loft the true meaning of their religious emblems, ex¬
cept what a very few of us occafionally revive in the retentive memories of
their old inquifitive magi; yet tradition diredts them to apply them pro-

Obfervatms on their language. 71

perly. They ufe many plain religious emblems of the diyine names, Yo-
hewah, Yah, and Ale,— and thefe are the roots of a prodigious number of
words, through their various diale&s. It is furprizing they were unnoticed,
and that no ufe was made of them, by the early voluminous Spanifh
writers, or by our own, for the information of the learned world, notwith-
ftanding the bright lights they had to direct thepi in that a:ra, when the de¬
corations of their holy temples and priefts, their religious ceremonies, and
facred hymns of praife to the Deity, of which hereafter, fo nearly corref-
ponded with the Ifraelitilh, and might have been readily difcpvered by any
who eyed them with attention. In our time, by reafon of their long inter-
courfe with foreigners, we have neceffarily but a few dark traces to guide
our inquiries, in the inveftigation of what mult have bee? formerly, fhining
truths,

I mull beg to be indulged with a few more remarks on their verbs.—If
we prefix As to A-a, “ to move,” it becomes A-fd-a, “ to offend.” The mo-
nofyllables Ijh and Che, varioufly denote the fecond perfon fmgular; but when
the former is by cuftom prefixed to a verb, the latter then expreffes either the
accufative or ablative cafe Angular of the pronoun relative ; as IJh-a-fd-ab,
“ you are offended, or moved to fay Ah;” IJh-a-fd-a-re, “ you were dif-
pleafed but Cbe-a-fd-ah fignifies “ I am difpleafed with you;” and Cbe-a-
fd-a-re “ I was offended by you-,” Cbe-a-fd-a-chee-le is “ I occafion, or have
occafioned you to be difpleafed,” literally, “ I produce, or have produced
offence to you j” and Che-a-fd-a-cbee-la Avia, “ I fhall not caufe you to be
difpleafed.” In like manner, they fay A-dn-ba , which fignifies “ I defpife,”
or literally, “ I move ha " for the mid letter is inferted for diftinftion-fake,
according to their idiom. So A-cbin-ba-cbu, “ I fhall contemn you
A-chin-ha-chee-h A-wa, “ I fhall npt caufe you to become defpicable.”
Ghee-le fignifies literally, “ to bring forth young.” So that the former me¬
thod of expreffion is very fignificant; and yet it fliews a fterility of lan¬
guage, as that fingle word is applicable to every fpecies of female animals,,
fowls not excepted : Thus, Phoo-Jhe Cbee-le, “ the birds lay.” Oe-Jbe figni¬
fies “ a young animal,” of any kind—and likewife an egg. When men¬
tioned alone, by way of excellence, it is the common name of an infant;
but when the name of the fpecies of animals is prefixed to it, it defcribes
the young creature. An-pujb-koojb co-Jhe, is what the tender mother fays to
her well-pleafed infant. The two words import the fame thing. The for¬
mer refembles the Hebrew, and the latter is likewife a fubftantive; they
1 fas

j 2 On the dcfcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Tay Chcol hojhe Teetb-ld-a-ta-bdb , “ the fox-cubs are run off — Choo-la being
the name of a fox. Phut-cboos-oo-Jhe Wabkd-as, “ let the young duck fly
away •” and Pboofoo-Jhe HiJh-Jhe Ool-pha-qui-fa, “ the young wild bird’s
hairs, or feathers, are not fprung, or budded.” Pa-fe fignifies the hair of a
man’s head, or the mane of animals. Sba-le fignifies pregnant, literally,
“ to carry a burthen as Oo-Jhe Sbd-le, “ flic bears, or carries, an infant
but, when it is born, Sboo-le is the name for carrying it in their arms.
This bears off from the divine radix, with great propriety of language.
Im prefixed to a verb, denotes the mafculine and feminine pronouns, ilium
and illam As this is their fixed method of fpeech, the reader will eafily un-
derftand the true idiom of their language. Sal-It fignifies “ I am dead,”
Cbil-le, you, &c. Il-leb, he, &c. And this is likewife a fubftantive, as Il-let
Min-te, “ death is approaching,” or coming: Min-te-cba fignifies “ come
you s” and A-min te-la A-wa, or Ac-min-ta-qua-cbu, “ I will not come.”

The former word, Sba-le, “ to carry a burthen,” or, (he is pregnant,
feems to be derived from U) and : and, as A-Jhd-le, IJh-flA-le, and
E-Jhd-le, are the firft, fecond, and third perfons fingular of the prefent tenfe,
the latter may allude to her conception by the power of the Deity: and it
alfo points to V)tc% Sba-wo-le, or Saul, “ the grave, or fepulchre,” out of
which the dead lhall come forth to a new world of light. In like manner
Chee-le “ to bring forth,” or A-cbee-ld-le, “ I brought forth,” appears to
be derived from 3, a note of refemblance, and ^>N, A-le, the fruitful Omni¬
potent. All the American nations, like the Jews, entertain a contemptible
opinion of their females that are barren—fterility they confider as proceed¬
ing from the divine anger, on account of their conjugal infidelity.

To enable grammarians to form a clear idea of the Indian method of va¬
riegating their verbs, and of the true meaning they convey, we muft again
recur to the former effential word, or rather divine emblem. A-ah, “ he
moves.” They fay A-as, “ let him move,” and Ee-md-ko, or Bid-fas A-d-
d-re, “ I now move,” or “ yefterday I moved for, like the Hebrews,
they fometimes ufe the preterperfeft, inftead of the prefent tenfe. A-d-a-ra ■
chii is the firft perfon fingular of the future tenfe, in the indicative mood.
A d-ta-hah exprefies the third perfon plural of the prefent tenfe, and fame
mood. A-d-ta-bdb-ta-ko-a fignifies, by query, “ have ye, or will ye move r”
It is their method of conjugating their verbs, that occafions any of their

radical

Obfervations on their language. 73

radical or derivative verbs to exceed three or four fyljajbles •, as we fee by
this, which, though compofed only of two vowels, or fhort fyllables, is yet
fo greatly dcflefled. With them two negatives make an affirmative, as
Akhijh-ko-qud, “ I fhall not drink ;” add the ftrong negative termination
A-via, it is, “ I will certainly drink.” An affirmative queftion frequently
implies a ftrong negative ; as Ai-a-rd-ta-ko-a, literally, “ will, or fhould, I
go ?” that is, “ I really will not, or fhould not go and on the contrary,
a negative query imports an affirmative aflertion; as A-kai-u-qud-tako-a,
“ fhould not I go ?” or, “ I furely fhould go.” Ee-d ko A-pd-ret Sa-kdla-
qua-tako-a, is literally, “ if I ate, fhould not 1 be fatisfied ?” which implies,
“ if I ate, I fhould be fully fatisfied. To drinking, they apply a' word that
fignifies content •, and indeed, they are moft eager to drink any fort of 1 fpi-
ritous liquors, when their bellies are quite full. When they are tired with
drinking, if we fay to any of them, Un-ta Ang-go-na Che-mahijh-ko-la Cbu,
“ Well, my friend, I will drink with you;” Cbea-yook-pa-cbee-re Too-gat,
“ for, indeed, I rejoice in your companyhe replies, Hai-a, Ook-ka
Hoo-me llijh-ko Sa-nook td-ra •, which is, “ No; for I am content with
drinking bitter waters,” They conftantly prefix the fubftantive before the
adjedtive, and place the accufative cafe before the verb. If we tranflate
the following words, Qok-ka Pangge Hum-ma Law-wa A-hiJh-kd le Bla fas',
they literally fignify, “ yefterday I drank a great deal of red-grape water,”
meaning claret. Thus they fay, Tik-kirba, Ing-glee-Jhe Fren-Jhe Ee-Iap
A-bing ga E-tee-be, “ formerly, when the Englifh and French fought againft
each other;” Fren-Jbc Ing-glee-Jhe A-be-td-le,” the French were killed by the
Englifh.”

The verbs are feldom defedtive, or imperfeft : though they may feem to
be fo to perfons who do not underftand the idiom of their language, they are
not; they only appear as fuch by the near refemblance of words, which con¬
vey a different meaning—as A-kai-a, “ I go,” Sa-kai a, “ 1 am fatisfied with
eating,” and Sal-kai-a, “ I am angry, crofs, vexed, or difturbed in mind
Sbee-a, Che-kai-a , and Cbil-kai-a, in the fecond perfon ; Ai-a, E-kai a, and
Al-kai-a, in the third perfon fingular. A-pet-fa fignifies “ to fee,” and
Al-pee-fa , “ ftrait, even, or right; Al-poo-e-ak, the general name of
mercantile goods, I fubjoin, as fuch a word is uncommon with them; they
feldom ufe fo harfh a termination. I fhall here clofe this argument, and hope
L enough

74 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews..

enough hath been faid to give a clear idea of the principles of the Indian
language and dialetts, its genius and idiom, and ftrong fimilarity to, and
near coincidence with the Hebrew—which will be not eafily accounted for;
but by confidering the American Indians as defcended from the Jews..

ARGUMENT VI.

They count Time after the manner of the Hehrews.

They divide the year into fpring—fummer—autumn, or the fall of the
leaf—and winter: which the Cheerake Indians call Kogch, Akooea, Oolekobjtl,,
Kora-, and the Chikkafah and Choktah nation, Otoolpha, Tomepalle, AJhtora-
moona, AJhtora. Kogeh is drawn from Anantoge, the general appellation for
the fun and moon -, becaufe,. when the fun returns from the fouthern hemi-
fphere, he covers the vegetable world with a green livery. Akooea alludes,
ftrongly to the eflential divine name, as we have feen in the former argu¬
ment. With regard to Oolekohjle, w the fall of the leaf,” as they call a
buzzard, Soore , or Stole -, and as Soolekohjte fignifies troublefome, offenfive,
difagreeablc, the word fignifies, that “ the fall of the year is as dif-
agreeable a fight, as that of a buzzard.” Kora, as with the Hebrews, figni¬
fies the winter; and is likewife the name of a bone: and by joining Hah,
an Hebrew note of admiration, to the end of it, as Kora-Hah, it becomes
the proper name of a man, fignifying, “ all bones,” or very bony. Otool¬
pha, “ the fpring feafon,” is derived from Oolpha, the name of a bud, or
to fhoot out; becaufe then the folar heat caufes vegetables to bud and
fpring. TSmch fignifies “ the folar light,” and Palle, “ warm or hot;”
AJhtora, “ winter,” and Moona, “ prefently,” &c.

They number their years by any of thofe'four periods, for they have no
name for a year; and they fubdivide thefe, and count the year by lunar
months, like the Ifraelites, who counted by moons, as their name fufficiently
teftifies 5 for they called them DTIT, the plural of m', the moon.

The Indians have ho diftinft proper name for the fun and moon ; one
word, with a note of diftinflion, exprefles both—for example •, the Cheerake

call!

75

I "heir manner of counting time.

call the fun Euf-fe A-nan-te-ge, “ the day-moon, or fun and the latter,
Neuf-fe A-nan-t»-ge, or “ the night-fun, or moon,” In like manner, the
Chikkafah and Choktah term the one, Neetak-IIaJpb , and the other, Nccnnak-
HaJJeh; for Neetak fignifies “ a day,” and Neennak, “ a night.”

Here I cannot forbear remarking, that the Indians call the penis of any
animal, by the very fame name, Hajfe ; with this difference only, that the
termination is in this inftance pronounced fhort, whereas the other is long,
on purpofe to diftinguifh the words. This bears a ftrong analogy to what
the rabbins tell us of the purity of the Hebrew language, that “ it is fo
chafte a tongue, as to have no proper names for the parts of generation.”
The Cheerake can boaft of the fame decency of ftyle, for they call a corn-
houfe, Watobre and the penis of any creature, by the very fame name •,
intimating, that as the fun and moon influence and ripen the fruits that are
ftored in it, fo by the help of Ceres and Bacchus, Venus lies warm,
whereas on the contrary, fine Cerere & Bacchus, friget Venus.

They count certain very remarkable things, by knots of various colours and
make, after the manner of the South-American Aborigines 5 or by notched
fquare flicks, which are likewife diftributed among the head warriors, and
other chieftains of different towns, in order to number the winters, &c.—the
moons alfo—their fleeps—and the days when they travel; and efpecially cer¬
tain fecret intended adls of hoftility. Under fuch a circumftance, if one day
elapfes, each of them loofens a knot, or cuts off a notch, or elfe makes one,
according to previous agreement; which thofe who are in the trading way
among them, call broken days. Thus they proceed day by day, till the
whole time is expired, which was marked out, or agreed upon •, and they
know with certainty, the exact time of any of the aforefaid periods, when
they are to execute their fecret purpofes, be they ever fo various. The au¬
thors of the romantic Spanifh hiftories of Peru and Mexico, have wonder¬
fully ftretched on thefe knotted, or marked firings, and notched fquare
flicks, to fhew their own fruitful inventions, and draw the attention and
furprize of the learned world to their magnified bundle of trifles.

The method of counting time by weeks, or fevenths, was a very ancient
cuftom, praftifed by the Syrians, Egyptians, and moft of the oriental nations;

L 2 and

7 6 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

and it evidently is a remain of the tradition of the creation. The Creator,
indeed, renewed to the Hebrews the old precept of fanftifying the feventh
day, on a particular occafion. And chriftianity promoted that religious
obfervance in the weftern world, in remembrance of the work of redemp¬
tion. The Greeks counted time by decads, or tens; and the Romans by
nones, or ninths. The number, and regular periods of the Indians public
religious feafts, of which prefcntly, is a good hiftorical proof, that they
counted time by, and obferved a weekly fabbath, long after their arrival
on the American continent.

They count the day alfo by the three fenfible differences of the fun, like
the Hebrews—fun-rife, they term, HaJJe kootcha meente , “ the fun’s com¬
ing out s”—noon, or mid-day, Tabookore-, —and fun-fet, HaJJe Oobea , lite¬
rally, “ the fun is dead likewife, Hajfe Ookka'tbra, that is, “ the fun is
fallen into the water the lad word is compounded of Ookka, water, and
Etora, to fall: it fignifies alfo “ to fwirn,” as inftinft would direft thofe to-
do, who fell into the water. And they call dark, Ookklille —derived from
Ookka, water, and Illtb, dead ; which Ihews their opinion of the fun’s difap-
pearance, according to the ancients, who faid the fun flept every night in
the weftern ocean. They fubdivide the day, by any of the aforefaid three
ftandards—as half way between the fun’s coming out of the water; and in
like manner, by midnight, or cock-crowing, &c.

They begin the year, at the firft appearance of the firft new moon of the
vernal xquinox, according to the ecclefiaftical year of Mofes: and thofe
fynodical months, each confift of twenty-nine days, twelve hours, and forty
odd minutes; which make the moons, alternately, to confift of twenty-nine
and of thirty days. They pay a great regard to the firft appearance of every
new (noon, and, on the occafion, always repeat fome joyful founds, and
ftretch out their hands towards her—but at fuch times they offer no public
facrifice.

Till the 70 years captivity commenced, (according to Dr. Prideaux, 606
years before the Chriltian asra) the Ifraelites had only numeral names for
the folar and lunar months, except and Q'jJiNn -, the former fignifies.
a green ear of corn ; and the latter, robuft, or valiant. And by the firft

name,,

’Their method of counting. 77

name, the Indians, as an explicative, term their paffover, which the trading
people call the green-corn dance. As the Ifraelites were a fenfual people,
and generally underftood nothing but the Ihadow, or literal part of the
law •, fo the Indians clofely imitate them, minding only that traditional part,
which promifed them a delicious land, flowing with milk and honey. The
two Jewilh months juft mentioned, were *quino£lial. Abib, or their prefent
Nifan, was the feventh of the civil, and the firft of the eccleftaftical year,
anfwering to our March and April: and £thanim, which began the civil
year, was the feventh of that of the eccleftaftical, the fame as our September
and October. And the Indians name the various feafons of the year, from
the planting, or ripening of the fruits. The green-eared moon is the moft
beloved, or facred,—when the firft fruits become fanftified, by being an¬
nually offered up. And from this period they count their beloved, or holy
things.

When they lack a full moon, or when they travel, they count by deeps;
which is a very ancient cuftom—probably, from the Mofaic method of
counting time, “ that the evening and the morning were the firft day."
Quantity they count by tens, the number of their fingers; which is a
natural method to all people. In the mercantile way, they mark on the
ground their numbers, by units ; or by X for ten ; which, I prefume they
learned from the white people, who traded with them. They readily add
together their tens, and find out the number fought. They call it Takd-ne
T/dpba, or “ fcoring on the ground.” But old time they can no way' trace,
only by remarkable circumftanees, and teras. As they trade with each
other, only by the hand, they have no proper name for a pound weight.

The Cheerake count as high as an hundred, by various numeral names ;
whereas the other nations of Eaft and Weft-Florida, rife no higher than
the decimal number, adding units after it, by a conjunftion copulative},
which intimates, that nation was either more mixed, or more Ikilful, than
the reft : the latter feems moft probable. They call a thoufand, Skoeb
Cbooke Kaiere, “ the old,” or “ the old one’s hundredand fo do' the
reft, in their various dialefls, by interpretation •, which argues their former
{kill in numbers.

1 ffialll

y2 On the If cent of the American Indians from the Jews .

I fliall here give a fpecinien of tlie Hebrew method of counting, and
that of the Cheerake, Chikkafah, and Mufkohge or Creeks, by which fome
fiKher analogy will appear between the lavage Indians, and their fuppofed
Ifraelitilh brethren. The Hebrew charafters were numeral figures: they
counted by them alphabetically, K (0, J (2), and fo on to the letter', the
tenth letter of the alphabet, and which Hands for ten ; then, by prefixing *
to thofe letters, they proceeded with their rifing numbers, as N' (11),
2 ' (12), J' (t3)> T .(14)1 &C. They .had words alfo of a numeral power, as
■jn» (1), (2), 'Z’b'tl (3), WIN (4), &c. We lhall now fee how the Indian

method of numbering agrees with this old ftandard, as well as with the idiom
of the Hebrew language in fimilar cafes.

The Cheerake number thus : Soquo 1, Tahre 2, Choeh 3, Nankke 4,
IJhke 5, Sootare 6, Karekoge 7, Suhnnyra 8, Sohnayra 9, Skoeh to, Soatoo 11,
Tariitoo 12, &c. And here we may fee a parity of words between two
of the Indian nations; for the Mulkohge term a Hone, Tahre-, which
glances at the Hebrew, as they not only built with fuch materials, but
ufed it as a word of number, exprefiive of two. In like manner, IJhke
“ five,” fignifies a mother, which feems to fhew that their numeral words
were formerly fignificant; and that they are one llock of people.

The Chikkafah and Choktah countin this manner— Chephpha 1, Toogalo 2,
Toot china 3, Oojia 4, Tathla.be 5, Hannable 6, Untoogalo 7, Untootchlna 8,
Chakkale 9, Pokoote 1 o, Pokoole Aaixia Chephpha , “ ten and one,” and fo on.
The Cheerake have an old wafte town, on the Georgia fouth-weft branch of
Savannah river, called Toogalo ; which word may come under the former
obfervation, upon the numerical word two : and they call a pompion,
O0JI0, which refembles Oojia, four.

The Cheerake call twenty, Tahre Skoeb, “ two tens :** and the Chikkafah
term it, Pokoole Toogalo , “ ten twosas if the former had learned to num¬
ber from the left hand to the right, according to the Syriac cuftom; and
the latter, from the right to the left hand, after the Hebrew manner. The
former call an hundred, Skoeh Chooke ; and, as before obferved, a thoufand,
Skoeh Chooke Kaiere, or “ the old one’s hundred for with them, Kaiere figni¬
fies “ ancient,” or aged; whereas Eli, or Eti-u, expreffes former old time.
7 May

’Their method of counting - 79

May not this have fome explanation, by the “ Ancient of days,” as exprefled
by the prophet Daniel—magnifying the number, by joining one of the
names of God to it—according to a frequent cuftom of the Hebrews ? This
feems to be illuftrated with fufficient clearnefs, by the numerical method of
the Chikkafah—for they call an hundred, Pokoole Tathleepa ; and a thou-
iand, Pokoole Tathleepa Tathleepa IJhto •, the laft of which is a ftrong double
fuperlative, according to the ufage of the Hebrews, by a repetition of
the principal word ; or by affixing the name of God to the end of it,,
to heighten the number. Ilhto is one of their names of God, expref-
five of majefty, or greatnefs;. and SootJatbleepa *, the name of a cfrum, de¬
rived from Sootte, an earthen pot, and Tathleepa , perhaps the name or num¬
ber of fome of their ancient legions.

The Mulkohge method of counting is, Ilommai 1, Hokkole 2, Toctcbena 3,
Obfta 4, Chakape 5, Eepdhge 6, Hoolophage 7, Cheenipa 8, Ohftape 9, Po-
kole to, &c. I am forry that I have not fufficient fkill in the Mufkohge
dialed!, to make any ufeful obfervations on this head ; however, the reader
can eafily dilcern the parity of language, between their numerical words, and
thofe of the Chikkafah and Choktah nations ; and may from thence con¬
clude, that they were formerly one nation and people.

T have feen their fymbols, or CgnatUTes, in a heraldry way, to count or
diftinguifh their tribes, done with what may be called wild exadtnefs. The
Choktah ufe the like in the dormitories of their dead •, which feems to argue,
that the ancienter and thicker-fettled countries of Peru and Mexico had for¬
merly, at lead, the ufe of hieroglyphic charadlers; and that they painted
the real, or figurative images of things, to convey their ideas. The prefent
American Aborigines feem to be as fkilful Pantomimi, as ever were thofe
of ancient Greece or Rome, or the modern Turkith mutes, who dclcribe
the meaneft things fpoken, by gefture, adlion, and the pafiions of the face..
Two far-diftant Indian nations, who underftand not a word of each other’s-
language, wilL intelligibly converfe together, and contract engagements,,
without any interpreter, in fuch a furprizing manner, as is fcarcely credible.
As their dialedls are guttural, the indications they ufe, with the hand or

* The double vowels, cc and et, arc always to be joined in one fyllable, and pronounced

fingers,.

So On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jew.

fingers, in common difcourfe, to accompany their fpeech, is the reafon that
ft rangers imagine they make-only a gaggling noile, like what we are told of
the Hottentots, without any articulate found; whereas it is an ancient cuf-
tom of the eaftern, countries, which probably the firft emigrants brought
-with them to America, and ftill retain over the far-extended continent *.

ARGUMENT VII.

In conformity to, or after the manner of the Jews, the Indian Americans
have their Prophets, High-Priests, and others of a religious order. As
the Jews had a fanftum fanSorum , or mod holy place, fo have all the
Indian nations ■, particularly, the Mulkohge. It is partitioned off by a
mud-wall about breaft-high, behind the white feat, which always ftands
to the left hand of the red-painted war-feat ■, there they depofit their confe-
crated veflels, and fuppofed holy utenfils, none of the laity daring to ap¬
proach that facred place, for fear of particular damage to themfelves, and
general hurt to the people, from the fuppofed divinity of the place.

With the Mulkohge, Hitch Lalage fignifies “ cunning men,” or perfons
prefcient of futurity, much the fame as the Hebrew feers. Cbeeratabege is
the name of the pretended prophets, with the Cheerake, and nearly ap¬
proaches to the meaning of N'33, Nebia , the Hebrew name of a prophet.
Cheera is their word for “ fire,” and the termination points out men pofleft
of, or endued with it. The word feems to allude to the celeftial cherubim,
fire, light, and fpirit, which centered in O E A, or Yohewah. Thefe In¬
dians call their pretended prophets alfo Loa-che , “ Men refembling the holy
fire,” or as Elohim •, for the termination exprefies a comparifon, and
Loa, is a contraction of Leak, drawn from nbtt, Elooh, the Angular num¬
ber of Elohim , the name of the holy ones. And, as the Mulkohge

* The firft numbering was by their fingers; to which cuftom Solomon alludes, Prov. iii. 16.
“ length of days is in her right hand.” The Greeks called this, AsroTi/asrs/iuft/r, becaufe
they numbered on their five fingers: and Ovid fays, Sim, quia lot digitii, per qua numtrare fo-
hmus ; likewife Juvenal, Sua dextrd computat annos. Others numbered on their ten fingers, as
we may fee in Bede de ratione temporum. And the ancients not only counted, but are faid
to fpeak with their fingers, Prov. vi. 13, “ The wicked man he teacheth with his fingers.”
And Nsevius, in Tarentilla, fays, dot digito Ultras.

call

'Their prophett, high-priejls, &c. 8r

call the noife of thunder, Erowab, fo the Cheerake by inverting it, IVorab,
« He is j" thereby alluding to the divine effence: and, as thofe term the
lightning Eloa , and believe it immediately to proceed from the voice of IJb-
tohollo Eloa Aba , it (hews the analogy to the Hebrews, and their fenti-
ments to be different from all the early heathen world.

The Indian tradition fays, that their forefathers were poffeffed of an ex¬
traordinary divine fpirit, by which they foretold things future, and con-
trouled the common courfe of nature : and this they tranfmitted to their
offspring, provided they obeyed the facred laws annexed to it. They be¬
lieve, that by the communication of the fame divine fire working on their
Lodcbe y they can now effedt the like. They fay it is out of the reach of Nana
Ookproo , either to comprehend, or perform fuch things, becaufe the beloved
fire, or the holy fpirit of fire, will not co-operate with, or adluate Hottuk
Ookproofe, “ the accurfed people.” IJhtoboollo is the name of all their
prieftly order, and their pontifical office defcends by inheritance to the
eldeft: thofe friend-towns, which are firmly confederated in their exercifes
and plays, never have more than one Arcbi-magus at a time. But lamenefs,
contrary to the Mofaic law, it mull be confeffed, does not now exclude him
from officiating in his religious fundlion •, though it is not to be doubted, as
they are naturally a modeft people, and highly ridicule thofe who are inca¬
pable of procreating their fpecies, that formerly they excluded the lame and
impotent. They, who have the lead knowledge in Indian affairs, know,
that the martial virtue of the favages, obtains them titles of didindtion 5 but
yet their old men, who could fcarcely corredl their tranfgreffing wives,
much lefs go to war, and perform thofe difficult exercifes, that are effen-
tially needful in an adtive warrior, are often promoted to the pontifical dig¬
nity, and have great power over the people, by the pretended fandlity of the
office. Notwithftanding the Cheerake are now a neft of apoftate hornets,
pay little refpedt to grey hairs, and have been degenerating fall from
their primitive religious principles, for above thirty years pad—yet,
before the lad war, Old Hop, who was helplefs and lame, prefided over
the whole nation, as Arcbi-magus , and lived in Choate, their only town
of refuge. It was entirely owing to the wifdom of thofe who then pre¬
fided in South-Carolina, that his dangerous pontifical, and regal-like
power, was impaired, by their fetting up Alta Kulla Kulla, and fup-
porting him fo well, as to prevent the then eafy tranfition of an Indian
M high-

84 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

high-prieflhood into a French American bloody chair, with a bunch of red
and black beads ; where the devil and they could as eafily have inftrufted
them in the infernal French catechifm, as they did the Canada Indians:
as—Who killed Chrift ? Anfuier, The bloody Englifh ; &c. *

To difcover clearly the origin of the Indian religious fyftem, I muft oc-
cafionally quote as much from the Mofaic inftitution, as the favages Teem
to copy after, or imitate, in their ceremonies •, and only the faint image
of the Hebrew can now be expefted to be difcerned, as in an old, im-
perfeft glafs. The priefthood originally centered with the firft male born
of every family : with the ancient heathens, the royalty was annexed to it,
in a diretft line •, and it defcended in that manner, as low as the Spartans
and Romans. But, to fecure Ifnael from falling into heathenilh cuftoms and
worlhip ■, God in the time of Mofes, fet apart the Levites for religious fer-
vices in the room of the firft-born •, and one high-prieft, was cle&ed
from the family of Aaron, and anointed with oil, who prefided over the
reft. This holy office defcended by right of inheritance. However, they
were to be free of . bodily defects, and were by degrees initiated to their
holy office, before they were allowed to ferve in it. They were confecrated,
by having the water of purifying fprinkled upon them, wafting all their
body, and their clothes clean, anointing them with oil, and offering a
facrifice.

It is not furprizing that the drefs of the old favage Anii-»urgHS, ,and that
of the Levitical high-prieft, is fomewhat different. It may well be fuppofed,
they wandered from captivity to this far-diftant wildernefs, in a diftreft condi¬
tion, where they could fcarcely cover themfelves from the inclemency of heat
and cold. Belides, if they had always been poffeffed of the greateft affluence,
the long want of written records would fufficiently excufe the difference s
becaufe oral traditions are liable to variation. However, there are fome
traces of agreement in their pontifical drefs. Before the Indian Archi-
magus officiates in making the fuppofed holy fire, for the yearly atonement

* A wrong belief has a moll powerful efficacy in depraving men’s morals, and a right one
has a great power to reform them. The bloody Romiih bulls, that France fent over to their
Indian converts, clearly prove the former j and our peaceable conduit, as plainly Ihewed the
latter, till Britannia fent out her lions to retaliate.

of

Tie ornaments of theif high-priejl. 83

of fur, the Sagan clothes him with a white ephod, which is a waiftcoat
without fleeves. When he enters on that folemn duty, a beloved attendant
fpreads a white-dreft buck-lkin on the white feat, which (lands clofc to the
fuppofed hoUeft, and then p'uts fome white beads on it, that are given him
by the people. Then the Arcbi-magus wraps around his (houlders a con-
fecrated lkin of the fame fort, which reaching acrofs under his arms, he
ties behind his back, with two knots on the legs, in the form of a figure
of eight. Another cuftom he obferves on this folemn occafion, is, inllead
of going barefoot, he wears a new pair of buck-fkin white maccafenes made
by himfelf, and Hitched with the finews of the fame animal *. The upper
leather acrofs the toes, he paints, for the fpace of three inches, with a tew
ftreaks of red — not with vermilion, for that is their continual war-
emblem, but with a certain red root, its leaves and ftalk refembling the
ipecacuanha, which is their fixed red fymbol of holy things. Thele (hoes he
never wears, but in the time of the fuppofed pa(fover ; for at the end of it,
they are laid up in the beloved place, or holiefl, where much of the like
fort, quietly accompanies an heap of old, broken earthen ware, conch-lhells,
and other confecrated things.

The Mofaic ceremonial inflitutions, are acknowledged by our bed writers,
to reprefent the Meffiah, under various types and (hadows; in like manner,
the religious cuftoms of the American Indians, feem to typify the fame •,
according to the early divine promife, that the feed of the woman (hould
bruife the head of the ferpent; and that it lhould bruife his heel.—The
Levitical high-priett wore a breaft-plate, which they called Hofecbim, and on it
the Urim and Tbttmmim , fignifying lights and perfedlions ; for they are the
plurals of nx, Awora, (which inverted makes Erovia) and min, Thorab,

* Obfervant ubi fefla mere pede fabbata reges,

Et veins indulget fenibus elements pcrcis.

Juvenal, Sat. vi. .

When the high-prieft entered into the holieR, on the day of expiation, he clothed himfelf
in white; and, when he finiihed that day’s fervice, he laid aftde thofe clothes and lefc
them in the tabernacle. Lev. xvi. 23.

When the Egyptian prieRs went to worlhip in their temples, they wore lhoes of white
parchment. HfHodotvs, Lib. ii. Cap. v.

M 2 th«

84 On the dt/cent of tie American Indians from the Jews.

the law, as it direfted them under dark lhadows, to Mefliah, the lamp
of light and perfeflions. In refemblance of this facred pefloral, or bread-
plate, the American Arcbi-magus wears a bread-plate, made of a white
conch-fhell, with two holes bored in the middle of it, through which he
puts the ends of an otter-lkin (trap, and fallens a buck-horn white button to
the outflde of each, as if in imitation of the precious Hones of Urim, which
miraculoufly blazoned from the high-pried’s bread, the unerring words of
the divine oracle. Indead of the plate of gold, which the Levite wore on
his forehead, bearing thefc words, ftlTP 'h *np, Kadtjb li Ttbewab. “ holy,
or feparate to God,*' the Indian wears around his temples, either a
wreath of fwan-feathers, or a long piece of fwan-lkin doubled, fo as only
the fine fnowy feathers appear on each fide. And, in likened to the
Tiara of the former, the latter wears on the crown of his head, a tuft of
white feathers, which they call Tattra. He likewife fadens a tuft of blunted
wild Turkey cock-fpurs, toward the toes of the upper part of his macca-
fenes, as if in refemblance to the feventy-two bells, which the Leviti-
cal high-pried wore on his coat of blue. Thofe are as drong religious
pontifical emblems, as any old Hebrews could have well chofen, or re¬
tained under the like circumdances of time and place. Thus appears the
Indian Archimagus—not as Mtrubba Begadim, “ the man with many
clothes,” as they called the high-pried of the fecond temple, but with
clothes proper to himfelf, when he is to officiate in his pontifical
funflion, at the annual expiation of fins *. As religion is the touchdone of
every nation of people, and as thefe Indians cannot be fuppofed to have
been deluded out of theirs, feparated from the red of the world, for
many long-forgotten ages — the traces which may be difeerned among
them, will help to corroborate the other arguments concerning their,
origin.

Thefe religious, beloved men are alfo fuppofed to be in great favour with
the Deity, and able to procure rain when they pleafe. In this rcfpedl alfo,
we dull obferve a great conformity to the praflice of the Jews. The He¬
brew records inform us, that in the moon Abib, or Nifan, they prayed for

• The only ornaments that difllnguiflied the high-ptiefl from the re#, were a coat with
ferenty-two bell., an ephod, or jacket ttithoot fleeter, a bread-pill* fet with Iwclre flone.,
a linen mitre, and a plate of gold upon his forehead.

d ■-

Their priejis method offeeking feafonable rains. Sg

the fpring, or latter rain, to be fo feafonable and fufficient as to give them a
good harveft. And the Indian Americans have a tradition, that their fore¬
fathers fought for and obtained fuch feafonable rains, as gave them plentiful
crops; and they now feek them in a manner agreeable to the lhadow of
this tradition.

When the ground is parched, their rain-makers, (as they are commonly
termed) are to mediate for the beloved red people, with the bountiful holy
Spirit of fire. But their old cunning prophets are not fond of entering orv
this religious duty, and avoid it as long as they polfibly can, till the mur¬
murs of the people force them to the facred attempt, for the fecurity of
their own lives. If he fails, the prophet is foot dead, becaufe they are fo
credulous of his divine power conveyed by the holy Spirit of fire, that
they reckon him an enemy to the ftate, by averting the general good, and
bringing defolating famine upon the beloved people. But in general, he is
fo difcerning in the ftated laws of nature, and fkilful in prieftcraft, that he
always feeks for rain, either at the full, or change of the moon ; unlefs the
birds, either by inftinft, or the temperature of their bodies, foould direft
him otherwife. However, if in a dry feafon, the clouds, by the veering of
the winds, pafs wide of their fields—while they are inveighing bitterly
againft him, fome in fpeech, and others in their hearts, he foon changes
their well-known notes—he aflumes a difpleafed countenance and car¬
riage, and attacks them with bitter reproaches, for their vicious conduft in
the marriage-ftate, and for their notorious pollutions, by going to the women
in their religious retirements, and for multifarious crimes that never could
enter into his head to fufpedb them of perpetrating, but that the divinity
his holy things were endued with, had now fuffered a great decay, although
he had failed, purified himfelf, and on every other account, had lived an
innocent life, according to the old beloved fpeech : adding, “ Look IJhto-
hoollo will never be kind to bad people.” He concludes with a religious
caution to the penitent, advifing them to mend their manners, and the times
will mend with them : Then they depart with forrow and foame. The
old women, as they go along, will exclaim loudly againft the young
people, and proteft they will watch their manners very narrowly for the
time to come, as they are fure of their own fteady virtue.

8 £ On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

If a two-years drought happens, the fynhedrim,- at the earned folicitation
of the mortified finners, convene in a body, and make proper enquiry
into the true caufe of their calamities-, becaufe (fay they) it is better
to fpoil a few roguifii people, than a few roguifli people ft.ould fpoil Uottuk
Oretoopab : The lot foon falls upon Jonas, and he is immediately lwallowed
up. Too much rain is equally dangerous to thole red prophets.—I was lately
told by a gentleman of diftinguilhed chara&er, that a famous rain-maker of
the Mufkohge was fliot dead, bccaufe the river over-flowed their fields .to
a great height, in the middle of Auguft, and deftroyed their weighty har-
veft. They aferibed the mifehief to his ill-will ; as the Deity, they fay, doth
not injure the virtuous, and defigned him only to do good to the beloved
people.

In the year 1747, a Nachee warrior told me, that while one of their
prophets was ufing his divine invocations for rain, according to the faint
image of their ancient tradition, he was killed with thunder on the fpot •,
upon which account, the fpirit of prophecy ever after fubfided among
them, and he became the laft of their reputed prophets. They believed
the holy Spirit of fire had killed him with fome of his angry darting
fire, for wilful impurity; and by his threatening voice, forbad them to
renew the like attempt—and juftly concluded, that if they all lived well,
they fliould fare well, and have proper feafons. This opinion coincides
with that of the Ifraelites, in taking fire for the material emblem of Yo-
hewah; by reckoning thunder the voice of the Almighty above, according
to the fcriptural language ; by efteeming thunder-ftruck individuals under
the difpleafure of heaven — and by obferving and enforcing fuch rules
of purity, as none of the old pagan nations obferved, nor any, except the
Hebrews.

As the prophets of the Hebrews had oracular anfwers, fo the Indian
magi, who are to invoke YO He Wah, and mediate with the fupreme
holy fire, that he may give feafonable rains, have a tranfparent ftone, of fup-
pofed great power in affifting to bring down the rain, when it is put
in a bafon of water; by a reputed divine virtue, imprelfed on one of
the like fort, in time of old, which communicates it circularly. This
ftone would fuffer a great decay, they aflert, were it even feen by their
laity ; but if by foreigners, it would be utterly defpoiled of its divine

commu-

Their prlefts method of feeking feafonable rains. 87

communicative power. Doth not this allude to the precious blazoning
ftones of Urim and Thummim ?

In Tymahfe, a lower Cheerake town, lived one of their reputed great
divine men, who never informed the people of his feeking for rain,
but at the change, or full of the moon, unlefs there was fome pro-
mifing fign of the change of the weather, either in the upper regions, or
from the feathered kalender ; fuch as the quacking of ducks, the croaking
of ravens, and from the moiftnefs of the air felt in their quills -, confe-
quently, he feldom failed of fuccefs, which highly increafed his name,
and profits; for even when it rained at other times, they afcribed it to the
intercelfion of their great beloved man. Rain-making, in the Cheerake
mountains, is not fo dangerous an office, as in the rich level lands of the
Chikkafah country, near the Miffifippi. The above Cheerake prophet had a
carbuncle, near as big as an egg, which they faid he found where a great rattle-
fnake lay dead, and that it fparkled with fuch furprizing luftre, as to illumi¬
nate his dark winter-houfe, like ftrong flafhes of continued lightning, to the
great terror of the weak, who durft not upon any account, approach
the dreadful fire-darting place, for fear of fudden death. When he died, it
was buried along with him according to cuftom, in the town-houfe of Ty¬
mahfe, under the great beloved cabbin, which ltood in the wefternmoft part
of that old fabric, where they who will run the rilk of fearching, may luckily
find it; but, if any of that family detefted them in difturbing the bones of
their deceafed relation, they would refent it as the bafeft aft of hoftility.
The inhuman condudt of the avaricious Spaniards toward the dead Peru¬
vians and Mexicans, irritated the natives, to the higheft pitch of diftraftion,
againft thofe ravaging enemies of humanity. The intenfe love the Indians
bear to their dead, is the reafon that fo few have fallen into the hands of our
phyficians to difieft, or anatomife. We will hope alfo, that from a prin¬
ciple of humanity, our ague-charmers, and water-cafters, who like birds of
night keep where the Indians frequently haunt, would not cut up their fel¬
low-creatures, as was done by the Spanilh butchers in Peru and Mexico.

Not long ago, at a friendly feaft, or feaft of love, in Weft-FIorida, dur¬
ing the time of a long-continued drought, I earneftly importuned the old
rain-maker, for a fight of the pretended divine ftone, which he had allured
me he was poffefied of; but he would by no means gratify my requeft. He

told

88 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

told me, as I was an infidel, literally, “ one who (hakes hands with the
accurfed fpeech,” and did not believe its being endued with a divine power,
the fight of it could no ways benefit me ; and that, as their old unerring
tradition allured them, it would differ very great damage in cafe of com¬
pliance, he hoped I would kindly acquiefce; cfpecially, as he imagined, l
believed every nation of people had certain beloved things, that might be
eafily fpoiled by being polluted. I told him I was fully fatisfied with the
friendly excufe he made to my inconfiderate requeft ; but that I could
fcarcely imagine there were any fuch beloved men, and beloved things, in fo
extremely fertile, but now fun-burnt foil. Their crops had failed the year
before, by reafon of feveral concurring caufes: and, for the molt part of the
fummer feafon, he had kept his bed through fear of incurring the punilh-
ment of a falfe prophet; which, joined with the religious regimen, and
abftemious way of living he was obliged ftriftly to purfue, it fweated him
fo feverely, as to reduce him to a Ikeleton. 1 jelled him in a friendly way,
faying, I imagined, the fupreme holy fire would have proved more kind
to his honeft devotees, than to fickcn him fo feverely, cfpecially at that
critical feafon, when the people’s food, and his own, entirely depended on
his health; that, though our beloved men never undertook to bring
down feafon able rains, yet we very feldom failed of good crops, and
always paid them the tenth balket-full of our yearly produce; becaufe,
they perfuaded our young people, by the force of their honeft example,
and kind-hearted enchanting language, to Ihun the crooked ways of Hottuk
Kallnkje, “ the mad light people,” and honeftly to lhake hands with the
old beloved fpeech—that the great, fupreme, fatherly Chieftain, had told
his Loache to teach us how to obtain peace and plenty, and every other
good thing while we live here, and when we die, not only to Ihun the
accurfed dark place, where the fun is every day drowned, but likewife to
live again for ever, very happily in the favourite country.

He replied, that my fpeech confided of a mixture of good and ill •,
the beginning of it was crooked, and the conclufion ftraight. He faid, I
had wrongfully blamed him, for the effefl of the diforderly condufl of the
red people and himfelf, as it was well known he failed at different times for
feveral days together} at other times ate green tobacco-leaves; and fome
days drank only a warm decoftion of the button fnake-root, without allowing

any

A converfalhn with one of their priejls, 89

anyone, except his religious attendant, to come near him ; and, in every
other relpeft, had honeftly obferved the auftere rules of his religious place,
according to the beloved fpeech that IJljtoboello Elia Aba gave to the Louche
of their forefathers: but Look IJhtohoolio was forely vexed with moft of
their young people for violating the chaftity of their neighbours wives, and
even among the thriving green corn and peafe, as their beds here and there
clearly proved; thus, they fpoiled the power of his holy things, and
tempted Mitiggo Ifoto Elo'a, “ the great chieftain of the thunder,” to bind
up the clouds, and withold the rain. Befides, that the old women were lefs
honeft in paying their rain-makers, than the Englilh women behaved to their
beloved men, unlefs I had fpoken too well of them. The wives of this and
the other perfon, he faid, had cheated him, in not paying him any portion
of the laft year’s bad crop, which their own bad lives greatly contributed to,
as that penurious crime of cheating him of his dues, fufficiently teftified
not to mention a late cuftpm, they. had contrafted fince the general
peace, of planting a great many fields of beans and peafe, in diftant places,
after the fummer-crops were over, on the like dilhoneft principle j likewife
in affirming, that when the firft harveft was over, it rained for nothing ;
by that means they had blackened the old beloved fpeech, that IJhtohoolio
Eloa of old fpoke to his Louche, and conveyed down to him, only that
they might paint their own bad aftions white. He concluded, by faying,
that all the chieftains, and others prefenr, as well as myfelf, knew now very
well, from his honeft fpeech, the true caufe of the earth’s having been fo
ftrangely burnt till lately ; and that he was afraid, if the hearts of thofe
light and mad people he complained of, did not fpeedily grow honeft, the
dreadful day would foon come, in which Loak IJhtohoolio would fend Pbut-
chik Keeraah IJhto, “ the great blazing ftar,” Yablaut eeklenna, Loak loachhche ,
“ to burn up half of the earth with fire,” Pberimmi Aiube, “ from the
north to the fouth,” Hajfe oobea fern, “ toward the fetting of the fun,” where
they Ihould in time arrive at the dreadful place of darknefs, be confined
there hungry, and otherwife forely diftreft among hiding fnakes and many
other frightful creatures, according tp the ancient true fpeech that IJhto~
boollo Aba fpoke to his beloved Louche.

Under this argument, I will alfo mention another ftriking refemblance to
the Jews, as to their tithes. —As the facerdotal office was fixed in the tribe
N of

JO On tie defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

of Levi, they had forty-eight cities allotted them from the other tribes. And
Mofes a flares us, in Dent. xiv. 28, 29, that thole tribes paid them alfo once
in three years, the tithe, or tenth of all they poflefTcd, which is fuppofcd to
be about the thirtieth part of their annual poflTeflions; by which means they
were reafonably maintained, as fpiritual pallors, and enabled to fulfil the
extcnfive and charitable application of their dues, as enjoined.

It hath been already hinted, that the Indian prophets undertake by the
emanation of the divine fpirit of fire, co-opetating with them, to bring down
proper rains for crops, on the penalty of looflng their own lives as the
Indians reckon that a regular virtuous life will fufficiently enable their great
beloved men to bring blcflings of plenty to the beloved people; and if they
neglect it, they are dangerous enemies, and a great curfc to the community.
They imagine his prophetic power is alfo rcflriflivc as to winter-rains, they
doing more hurt than good for they juftly obferve, that their ground fel-
dom fullers by the want of winter-rains. Their fentiments on this head, are
very ftrong •, they fay, IJblobocllo Aba allows the winter-rain to fall un¬
fought, but that he commanded their forefathers to feek for the fummer-
rain, according to the old law, otherwife he would not give it to them. If
the feafons have been anfwcrable, when the ripened harveft is gathered in,
the old women pay their reputed prophet with religious good-will, a certain
proportional quantity of each kind of the new fruits, mrafured in the fame
large portable back-bafkets, wherein they carried home the ripened fruits.
This llated method they yearly obferve 1 which is as confonant to the Lcvi-
tical inflitution, as can be reafonably expelled, efpccially, as their traditions
have been time out of mind preferved only by oral echo.

Modem writers inform us, that the Perfees pay a tithe of their revenues
to the chief Dellour, or Archimagus of a city or province, who decides
cafes of conference, and points of law, according to the inllituiion of Zoro-
after—a mixture of Judaifm and paganifm. Their annual religious offering
to the Archimagi, is a mifapplication of the Levitical law concerning tithes,
contrary to the ufage of the American Aborigines, which it may be fuppofcd
they immediately derived from the Hebrews ■, for, as the twelfth tribe was
devoted to the divine fervice, they were by divine appointment, maintained
at the public expence. However, when we confidcr that their government wax
7 of

5 Their payment of tit bee to their friejls. $ t

of a mixed kind—firft a theocracy—then by nobles, and by kings—and at
other times by their high-prieft, it feems to appear pretty plain, that the Deity
raifed, preferved, and governed thofe people, to oppofe idolatry, and con¬
tinue, till the fulnefs of time came, the true divine worfhip on earth, under
ceremonial dark lhadows, without exhibiting their government in the lead,
as a plan of future imitation. Befides, as Mefliah is come, according to the
predictions of the divine oracles, which reprefented him under various
ftrong types and lhadows, furely chriftians ought to follow the copy of their
humble Matter and his holy difciples, and leave the fleecing of the flock to
the avaricious Jews, whofe religious tenets, and rapacious principles, lup-
port them in taking annual tithes from each other; who affeCt to believe
that all the Mofaic law is perpetually binding, and that the predicted Shilo,
who is to be their purifier, king, prophet, and high-prieft, is not yet come.
The law of tithing , was calculated only for the religious oeconomy of the
Hebrew nation ; for as the merciful Deity, who was the immediate head of
that (late, had appropriated the Levites to his fervice, and prohibited them
purchafing land, left they (hould be feduced from their religious duties,
by worldly cares. He, by a moft bountiful law, ordered the ftate to give
them the tithe, and other offerings, for the fupport of themfelves and their
numerous families, and alfo of the widow, the fatherlefs, and the ftranger.

I fhall infert a dialogue, that formerly patted between the Chik-
kafah Loache and me, which will illuftrate both this, and other par-
ticulars of the general fubjeft; and alfo lhew the religious advantages
and arguments, by which the French ufed to undermine us with the
Indians.

We had been fpeaking of trade, which is the ufual topic of difcourfe
with thofe craftfmen. I alked him how he could reafonably blame the
Englilh traders for cheating Tekape himmah , “ the red folks,” even al¬
lowing his accufations to be juft; as he, their divine man, had cheated
them out of a great part of their crops, and had the affurance to claim it as
his religious due, when at the fame time, if he had lhaked hands with the
ftraight old beloved fpeech, or ftriCHy obferved the ancient divine law,
his feeling heart would not have allowed him to have done fuch black
and crooked things, efpecially to the helplefs, the poor, and the aged;

g2 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

it rather would have ftrongly moved him to ftretch out to them a kind and
helping hand, according to the old beloved fpeech of Ijhtohocllo Aba to his
Hottuk IJbtohoollo, who were fufficiently fupported at the public expence,
and ftrictly ordered to fupply with the greateft tendernefs, the wants of
others.

He fmartly retorted my objeflions, telling me, that the white people’s,
excufes for their own wrong conduft, were as falfe and weak as my com¬
plaints were againft him. The red people, he faid, faw very clearly through
fuch thin black paints though, his facred employment was equally hid
from them and me; by which means, neither of us could reafonably pre¬
tend to be proper judges of his virtuous conduft, nor blame him for the ne-
ceffary effeft of our own crimes; or urge it as a plea for cheating him out
of his yearly dues, contrary to the old divine fpeech, for the crops became
light by their own vicious conduft, which fpoiled the power of his holy
things. So that it was vifible, both the red and white people were
commonly too partial to themfelves; and that by the bounty, of the fupreme
fatherly Chieftain,- it was as much out of his power, as diftant from his
kindly heart, either to wrong the beloved red people, or the white nothings-,
and that it became none, except mad light people, to follow the crooked
fteps of Hottuk Ookproofe , the accurfed people.

As there was no interruption to our winter-night’s chat, I afked him in a
friendly manner, whether he was not afraid, thus boldly to fnatch at the di¬
vine power of diftributing rain at his pleafure, as it belonged only to the
great beloved thundering Chieftain, who dwells far above the clouds, in the
new year’s unpolluted holy fire, and who gives it in common to all nations of
people alike, and even to every living creature over the face of the whole
earth, becaufe he made them—and his merciful goodnefs always prompts-
him to fupply the wants of all his creatures. He told me, that by an ancient
tradition, their Louche were poflefled of an extraordinary divine power,,
by which they foretold hidden things, and by the beloved fpeech
brought down fhowers of plenty to the beloved people; that he very
well knew, the giver of virtue to nature refided on earth in the un¬
polluted holy fire, and likewife above the clouds and the fun,, in the
lhape of a fine fiery fubftance, attended by a great many beloved peo¬
ple ; and that he continually weighs us, and meafures out good or bad

things

French tricks to feduce the Indians to their interejf. 93

tilings to us, according to our aftions. He added, that though the former
beloved fpeech had a long time fubfided, it was very reafonable they
fhould ftill continue this their old beloved cuftom •, efpecially as it was both'
profitable in fupporting many of their helplefs old beloved men, and very
produdtive of virtue, by awing their young people from violating the ancient
laws. This (hewed him to be cunning in prieftcraft, if not poffeffed' of a
tradition from the Hebrew records, that their prophets by the divine power,
had, on material occafions, adted beyond the dated laws of nature, and
wrought miracles.

My old prophetic friend told me, with a good deal of furprize, that
though the beloved red people had by fome means or other, loft the
old beloved fpeech 5 yet Frenjhe•- Lakkane ookproo, “ the ugly yellow
French,” (as they term the Mifiifippians) had by fome wonderful method-
obtained it s for his own people, he allured me, had feen them at New
Orleans to bring down rain m a very dry feafon, when they were giving out
feveral bloody fpeeches to their head warriors againft the Englilh Chikkafah
traders. On a mifchievous politic invitation of the French, feveral of the
Chikkafah had then paid them a vifit, in the time of an alarming drought
and a general faft, when they were praying for feafonable rains at mafs.
When they came, the interpreter was ordered to tell them, that the French'
had holy places and holy things, after the manner of the red people — that
if their young people proved honeft, they could bring down rain whenever
they ftood in need of it—and that this was one of the chief reafons which
induced all the various nations of the beloved red people to bear them fo-
intenfe a love ; and, on the contrary, fo violent and inexpreflible an hatred
even to the very name of the Englifh, becaufe every one of them was marked
with Anumlole Ookkproo, “ the curfe of God.”

The method the Chikkafah prophet uled in relating the affair, has fome
humour in it—for their ignorance of the chriftian religion, and inftitutions,,
perplexes them when they, are on the fubjedt •, on which account 1 (hall.
Uteraliy tranfcribe it.

He told me, that the Chikkafah warriors during three fucceflive days,,
accompanied the French Louche and IJhtohoollo to the great beloved houfe,.
where a large bell hung a-top, which ftrange fight exceedingly furprized-
j them si

94 On the defcent of the American Indians from the "Jews.

them i for, inftead of being fit for a horfe, it would require a great man?
ten horfes to carry it. Around the infide of die beloved houfe, there was
a multitude of he and (he beloved people, or male and female faints or
angels, whofe living originals, they affirmed, dwelt above the clouds, and
helped them to get every good thing from IJhtohoollo Aha , when they earneftly
crave their help. The French beloved men fpoke a great deal with much
warmth ■, the reft were likewifc bufily employed in imitation of their IJhto¬
hoollo and Lodche. At one time they fpoke high, at another low. One chofe
this, and another chofe that fong. Here the men kneeled before the images
of their (he-beloved people; there the women did the like before their fa¬
vourite and beloved he-pidures, entreating them for fome particular favour
which they flood in need of. Some of them, he faid, made very wild mo¬
tions over their heads and breads; and others ftruck their ftomachs with a
vehemence like their warriors, when they drink much Ookka Homma, “ bitter
waters,” or fpirituous liquor; while every one of them had a bunch of
mixed beads, to which they frequently fpoke, as well as counted over;
that they loved thefe beads, for our people ftriftly obferved, they did
not give them to their Lodche and IJhtohoollo , as the red people would have
done to thofe of their own country, though it was very plain they de¬
fended them, for beating themfelves fo much for the young people’s roguifh
aftions •, and likewife for labouring fo ftrongly in pulling off their clothes,
and putting them on again,' to make the beloved phyfic work, which
they took in fmall pieces, to help to bring on the rain. On the third
day (added he) they brought it down in great plenty, which was certainly
a very difficult performance ■, and as furprizing too, that they who are
always, when opportunity anfwers, perfuading the red people to take up the
bloody hatchet againft their old fteady friends, ihould (till have the beloved
fpeech, which IJhtohoollo Aba Eloa formerly fpoke to his beloved Lodche.
-Thus ended our friendly difcourfe.

ARGUMENT VIII.

Their Festivals, Fasts, and Religious Rites, have alfo a great re-
femblance to thofe of the Hebrews. It will be neceffary here to take a (hort
view of the principal Jewiffi feafts, &c. They kept every year, a facred
feaft called the PalTover, in memory of their deliverance from Egyptian

Their fejlivals, religious rites, &c. 9 5

bondage. Seven days were appointed. Lev. xxiii.—To thefe they added
an eighth, through a religious principle, as preparatory, to clear their houfes
of all leaven, and to fix their minds before they entered on that religious
duty. The name of this feftival is derived from a word which fignifies
to “ pafs overbecaufe, when the deftroying angel flew through the
Egyptian houfes, and killed their firft-born, he paffed over thofe of the
Ifraelites, the tops of whofe doors were ftained with the blood of the
lamb, which they were ordered to kill. This folemnity was inftituted with
the ftrongeft injunftions, to let their children know the caufe of that ob-
fervance, and to mark that night through all their generations.

Three days before this facred feftival, they chofe a lamb, without fpot
or blemilh, and killed it on the evening of the fourteenth day of Abib,
which was the firft moon of the ecclefiaftical, and the feventh of the civil
year; and they ate it with bitter herbs, without breaking any of the
bones of it, thus prefiguring the death of Meffiah. This was the reafon
that this was the chief of the days of unleavened bread, and they were
ftriftly forbidden all manner of work on that day ; befides, no uncir-
cumcifed, or unclean perfons ate of the pafchal lamb. Thofe of the peo¬
ple, whom difeafes or long journies prevented from obferving the paflover
on that day, were obliged to keep it in the next moon.

On the fixteenth day, which was the fecond of the paflover, they offered
up to God a Iheaf of the new barley-harveft, becaufe it was the earlielt
grain. The prieft carried it into the temple, and having cleaned and
parched it, he grinded or pounded it into flower, dipt it in oil, and then
waved it before the Lord, throwing fome into the fire. The Jews were for¬
bidden to eat any of their new harveft, till they had offered up a Iheaf, the
grain of which filled an omer, a fmall meafure of about five pints. All
was impure and unholy till this oblation was made, but afterwards it be¬
came hallowed, and every one was at liberty to reap and get in his harveft.

On the tenth day of the moon Ethanim, the firft day of the civil year,
they celebrated the great faft, or feaft of expiation, afflicfted their fouls, and
ate nothing the whole day. The high-prieft offered feveral facrifices, and
having carried the blood of the viflims into the temple, he fprinkled it
upon the altar of incenfe, and the veil that was before tire holieft; and went

9 6 On the dfcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

into that mod facred place, where the divine Shekinah refided, carrying a
cenfer fmoking in his hand with incenfe, which hindered him from having
a clear fight of the ark. But he was not allowed to enter that holy place,
only once a year, on this great day of expiation, to offer the general facri-
fiee both for the fins of the people and of himfelf. Nor did he ever mention
the divine four-lettered name, YO He WaH, except on this great day,
when he blefled the people.

Becaufe the Ifraelites lived in tabernacles, or booths, while they were in
the wildernefs; as a memorial therefore of the divine bounty to them,
they were commanded to keep the feaft of tabernacles, on the fifteenth
day of the month Tifri, which they called Ro/h Hofanah, or Uo/hianah , it
lafted eight days; during which time, they lived in arbours, (covered with
green boughs of trees) unlefs when they went to worlhip at the temple,
or fung Hojhaaho around the altar. When they were on this religious duty,
they were obliged each to carry in their hands a bundle of the branches
of willows, palm-trees, myrtles, and others of different forts, laden with
fruit, and tied together with ribbons; and thus rejoice together with the
appointed fingers, and vocal and inftrumental mufic, in the divine prefence
before the altar. On the eighth day of the feaft, one of the priefts brought
fome water in a golden veflel, from the pool of Siloam, mixed it with
wine, and poured it on the morning-facrifice, and the firft fruits of their
latter crops which were then prefented, as an emblem of the divine graces
that Ihould flow to them, when Shilo came, who was to be their anointed
king, prophet, and high-prieft—The people in the mean time finging out
of Ilaiah “ with joy lhall ye draw water out of the wells of falvation.”

Let us now turn to the copper colour American Hebrews.—While their
fanctiiicd new fruits are drelfing, a religious attendant is ordered to call
fix of their old beloved women to come to the temple, and dance the be¬
loved dance with joyful hearts, according to the old beloved fpeech. They
cheerfully obey, and enter the fuppofed holy ground in folemn proceflion,
each carrying in her hand a bundle of finall branches of various green trees;
and they join the fame number of old magi, or priefts, who carry a cane in
one hand adorned with white feathers, having likewife green boughs in their
other hand, which they pulled from their holy arbour, and carefully place
there, encircling it with feveral rounds. Thofe beloved men have their heads

drelTed

Their religious fejlivali, fafts, &c. 97

drelfed with white plumes •, but the women are decked in their fined, and
anointed with bear’s-greafe, having fmall tortoife-fhells, and white peb¬
bles, fadened to a piece of white-dred deer-lkin, which is tied to each of
their legs.

The elded of the prieds leads the facred dance, a-head of the innermod
row, which of courfe is next to the holy fire. He begins the dance round
the fuppofed holy fire, by invoking Yah, after their ufual manner, on a bafs
key, and with a (hort accent; then he fings YO YO, which is repeated by the
red of the religious proceflion 5 and he continues his facred invocations and
praifes, repeating the divine word, or notes, till they return to the fame point
of the circular courfe, where they began : then He He in like manner,
and Wah Wah. While dancing they never fail to repeat thofe notes; and
frequently the holy train drike up Halelu , Halelu ; then Haleluiah , Halelu-
Tah , and Aleluiah and Alelu-Yah, “ Irradiation to the divine efience,”
with great eamednefs and fervor, till they encircle the altar, while each
drikes the ground with right and left feet alternately, very quick, but well-
timed. Then the awful drums join the facred choir, which incite the old
female fingers to chant forth their pious notes, and grateful praifes be¬
fore the divine eflence, and to redouble their former quick joyful deps, in
• imitation of the leader of the facred dance, and the religious men a-head of
them. What with the manly drong notes of the one, and the fhrill voices
of the other, in concert with the bead-lhells, and the two founding, drum¬
like earthen veflels, with the voices of the muficians who beat them, the
reputed holy ground echoes with the praifes of YO He Wah. Their
finging and dancing in three circles around their facred fire, appears to have
a reference to a like religious cudom of the Hebrews. And may we not rea-
fonably fuppofe, that they formerly underdood the pfalms, or divine hymns ?
at lead thofe that begin with Halelti-Yah ; otherwife, how came all the inha¬
bitants of the extenfive regions of North and South-America, to have, and
retain thofe very expreffive Hebrew words ? or how repeat them fo didinclly,
and apply them after the manner of the Hebrews, in their religious accla¬
mations ? The like cannot be found in any other countries.

In like manner, they fing on other religious occafions, and at their feafts
of love, Ale-Yo Ale-Yo ; which is hit, the divine name, by his attribute of
omnipotence •, and \ alluding to mrr. They fing likewife Hewah Hewah,
which is mn “ the immortal foul drawn from the divine eflential name,
O as

pg On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

as deriving its rational faculties from Yohewah. Thofe words that they
ling in their religious dances, they never repeat at any other time •, whiclv
Items to have greatly occafioned the Id's of the meaning of their divine
hymns ; for I believe they are now fo corrupt, as not to underftand either
the fpiritual or literal meaning of what they fing, any further than by
alluGon:

In their circuiting dances, they frequently fing on a bafs key, ditie Ahti,
Aluhc, Alube, and Aluwiib Aluwab, which is the Hebrew mba. They like-
wife fing Sbilu-To Sbiltt-Yo , Shilu-Ue Sbilii-Hf, Sbilu-JVab Sbilu-JVah, and
Sbilu-Hah Sbilii-Hab. They tranfpofe them alfo feveral ways, but with the
very fame notes. The three terminations make up in their order- the four-
lettered divine name. Hah is a note of gladnefs—the word preceding it,
Sbilit, feems to exprefs the predicted human and divine niVt’, Shiloh, who
was to be the purifier, and peace-maker.

They continue their grateful divine hymns for the fpace of fifteen
minutes, when the dance breaks up. As they degenerate, they lengthen
their dances, and fhorten the time of their falls and purifications •, infomudr,
that they have fo exceedingly corrupted their primitive rites and cuftoms,.
within the fpace of the laft thirty years, that, at the fame rate of declen-
fion, there will not be long a poflibility of tracing their origin, but by their
dialeiSs, and war-cufloms.

At the end of this notable religious dance, the old beloved,' or holy wo¬
men return home to hallen the feaft of the new-fanttified fruits. In the
mean while, every one at the temple drinks very plentifully of the Cufleena
and other bitter liquids, to cleanfe their finful bodies; after which, they go
to fome convenient deep water, and there, according to the ceremonial law
of the. Hebrews, they walh away their fins with water. Thus fandlified,
they return with joyful hearts in-folemn procefiion, finging their notes of
praife, till they enter into the holy ground to eat of the new. delicious fruits
of wild Canaan *. The women now with the utmoft cheerfulnefs, bring to ■

* They are fo ftrifUy prohibited from eating fait; or. flelh-meat, till the fourth day; that
during the interval, the very touch of either is accounted a great pollution : after that period,
they are deemed lawful to be eaten. All the hunters, and able-bodied men, kill and barbecue
wild game in the woods, at leall ten days before this great fcftivsl, and religioufly keep it
for that facred ufe. r

the

99

Their religious fejiivals, fajls, &c.

the outfide of the facred fquare, a plentiful variety of all thofe good things,
with which the divine fire has blefTed them in the new year •, and the reli¬
gious attendants lay it before them, according to their ftated order and
reputed merit. Every feat is ferved in a gradual fucceflion, from the white
and red imperial long broad feats, and the whole fquare is foon covered:
frequently they have a change of courfes of fifty or fixty different forts, and
thus they continue to regale themfeives, till the end of the feftival; for they
reckon they are now to feaft themfeives with joy and gladnefs, as the divine
fire is appeafed for pad: crimes, and has propitiouliy fanftified their weighty
harveft. They all behave fo modeftly, and are poflefled of fuch an extra¬
ordinary conftancy and. equanimity, in the purfuit of their religious myfte-
ries, that they do not Ihew the leaff outward emotion of pleafure, at the firft
fight of the fanflified new fruits; nor the lealt uneafinefs to be tailing thofe
tempting delicious fat things of Canaan. If one of them acted in a contrary
manner, they would fay to him, Cbe-Hakjet Kaneha , “ You referable fuch
as were beat in Canaan.” This unconcern, doubtlefs proceeded originally
from a virtuous principle; but now, it may be the mere effectof habit: for,
jealoufy and revenge excepted, they feem to be diverted of every mental
paflion, and entirely incapable of any lafting affeftion.

I lhall give an inftance of this.—If the hufband has been a year abfent on
a vifit to another nation, and Ihould by chance overtake his wife near home,
with one of his children fkipping along fide of her •, inftead of thofe fudden
and ftrong emotions of joy that naturally arife in two generous breads at
fuch an unexpedled meeting, the felf-interefted pair go along as utter
ftrangers, without fceming to take the lead notice of one another, till a con-
fiderable time after they get home.

The Indians formerly obferved the grand feftival of the annual expiation of
fin, at the beginning of the firft new moon, in which their corn became full¬
eared ; but for many years part they are regulated by the feafon of their har¬
veft. And on that head, they Ihew more religious patience than the Hebrews
formerly did •, who, inftead of waiting till their grain was ripe, forced
their barley, which ripened before any other fort they planted. And they
are perhaps as Ikilful in obferving the revolutions of the moon, as
ever the Israelites were, at leaft till the end of the firft temple ; for during
that period, inftead of meafuring time by aftronomical calculations, they
O 2 knew

ioo On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

knew it only by the phafes of the moon. In like manner, the fuppofed red
Hebrews of the American defarts, annually obferved their feftivals, and
Neetak Yah-'ab , “ days of affli&ing themfelves before the Deity,” at a pre¬
fixed time of a certain moon. To this day, a war-leader, who, by the
number of his martial exploits is entitled to a drum, always fan&ifies him-
felf, and his out-ftanding company, at the end of the old moon, fo as to go
off at the appearance of the new one by day-light; whereas, he who has
not fufficiently diftinguifhed himfelf, muft fet out in the night.

As the firll of the Neetak Hoollo, precedes a long ftrift fall of two
nights and a day, they gormandize fuch a prodigious quantity of ftrong
food, as to enable them to keep inviolate the fucceeding fall, the fab-
bath of fabbaths, the Neetak Tab-ab: the feaft lafts only from morning
till fun-fet. Being great lovers of the ripened fruits, and only tantalized
as yet, with a near view of them •, and having lived at this feafon, but
meanly on the wild produ&s of nature—fuch a fall as this may be truly
faid to afflict their fouls, and to prove a fufficient trial of their religious
principles. During the feftival, feme of their people are clofely em¬
ployed in putting their temple in proper order for the annual expiation;
and others are painting the white cabbin, and the fuppofed holieft, with
white clay; for it is a facred, peaceable place, and white is its emblem.
Some, at the fame time are likewife painting the war-cabbin with red clay,
or their emblematical red root, as occafion requires ; while others of an in¬
ferior order, are covering all the feats of the beloved fquare with new mat-
treffes, made out of the fine fplinters of long canes, tied together with
flags. In the mean time, feveral of them are bufy in fweeping the temple,
clearing it of every fuppofed polluting thing, and carrying out the afhes from.
the hearth which perhaps had not been cleaned fix times fince the laft
year’s general offering. Several towns join together to make the annual
facrifice; and, if the whole nation lies in a narrow compafs, they make but
one annual offering : by which means, either through a fenfual or religious
principle, they ftrike off the work with joyful hearts. Every thing being
thus prepared, the Arcbi-magus orders fome of his religious attendants to
dig up the old hearth, or altar, and to fweep out the remains that by chance
might either be left, or drop down. Then he puts a few roots of the but-
ton-fnake-roor, with fome green leaves of an uncommon fmall fort of tobacco,
and a little of the new fruits, at the bottom of the fire-place, which he
i- orders.

Their religious feJUvals, fafts, tsc, 102

orders to be covered up with white marley clay, and wetted over with clean
water *.

Immediately, the magi order them to make a thick arbour over the altar,
with green branches of the various young trees, which the warriors had de-
ftgnedly chofen, and laid down on the outflde of the fuppofed holy ground:
the women, in the interim are bufy at home in cleaning out their houfes,
renewing the old hearths, and cleanfing all their culinary veffels, that they
may be fit to receive the pretended holy fire, and the fandlified new fruits,
according to the purity of the law;, left by a contrary conduft, they fhould
incur damage in life, health, future crops, &c. It is frelh in the memory
of the old traders,, that formerly none of thefe numerous nations of Indians
would eat, or even handle any part of the new harveft, till fome of it had
been offered up. at the yearly feftival by the Jrchi-magns, or thofe of
his appointment, at their plantations, though the light harveft of the paft :
year had forced them to give their women and children of the ripening
fruits, to fuftain life. Notwithftanding they are vifibly degenerating, both
in this, and every other religious obfervanoe, except what concerns war;
yet their magi and old warriors live contentedly on fuch harfh food as nature
affords them in the woods, rather than tranfgrefs that divine precept given
to their forefathers.

Having every thing in order for the facred folemnity,, the. religious
waiters carry off the remains of the feaft, and lay them on the outfide of the
fquare ; others of an inferior order carefully fweep out.the fmalleft crumbs,,
for fear of polluting the firft-fruit offering ; and before fun-fet, the
temple mull be cleared, even of every kind of veflel or utenfil, that had
contained, or been ufed.about any food in that expiring year. The women
carry all off, but none of that fex, except half a dozen of old beloved’
women, are allowed in that interval to tread on the holy ground, till the
fourth day.. Now, one of the waiters proclaims with a loud voice, for all.
the warriors and beloved men,, whom the purity of the law admits, to come-
and enter the beloved fquare, and obferve the fall; he likewife exhorts alb

• Under the palladium of-Troy, were placed things of the like nature, as a prefervative
from evil j but the above praftice feems to be pretty much tempered with the Mofaic infti-
tution ; for God commanded them, to make an altar of earth, to facrifice thereon..

the

•102

On the deftxnt of the American Indians from the Jews.

the women and children, and thofe who have not initiated themfclves in war,
to keep apart from them, according to law. Should any of them prove
•difobedient, the young ones would be dry-fcratched, and the others ftript of
every thing they had on them. They obferve the fame drift law of purity,
in their method of fanftifying themfclves for war, in order to obtain the
divine protection, afiillance, and fuccefs. But a few weeks fince, when
a large company of thefe warlike favages were on the point of fetting
off to commence war againft the Mufkohge, fome of the wags decoyed a
heedlefs trader into their holy ground, and they ftript him, fo as to oblige
him to redeem his clothes with vermilion. And, on account of the like
trefpafs, they detained two Indian children two nights and a day, till their
obftinate parents paid the like ranfom.

Their great beloved man, or Archi-magus, now places four centinels, one
at each corner of the holy fquare, to keep out every living creature as im¬
pure, except the religious order, and the warriors who are not known
to have violated the law of the firft-fruit-offering, and that of mar¬
riage, fince the laft year’s expiation. Thofe centinels are regularly relieved,
and firm to their facred truft; if they difeerned a dog or cat on the out-
limits of the holy fquare, before the firft-fruit-offering was made, they
would kill it with their arrows on the fpot.

They obferve the faft till the riling of the fecond fun -, and be they ever
fo hungry in that facred interval, the healthy warriors deem the duty fo
awful, and the violation fo inexpreflibly vicious, that no temptation would
induce them to violate it; for, like the Hebrews, they fancy temporal evils
are the neceffary effeft of their immoral conduft, and they would for ever
ridicule and reproach the criminal for every bad occurrence that befel him
in the new year, as the finful author of his evils j and would fooner
fhoot themfclves, than fuffer fuch long-continued (harp difgrace. The reli¬
gious attendants boil a fufficient quantity of button-fnake-root, highly im-
bittered, and give it round pretty warm, in order to vomit and purge
their finful bodies. Thus they continue to mortify and purify themfclves,
till the end of the faft. When we confider their earneft invocations of the
divine effence, in this folemnity—their great knowledge of fpecific virtues
in fimples—that they never apply the aforefaid root, only on religious occa¬
sions—that they frequently drink it to fuch excefs as to impair their health,
f and

Tieir religious fejlivals, fajis, &c. J03

and fometimes fo as to poifon themfelves by its acrid quality—and take into
the account, its well-known medicinal property of curing the bite of the
moft dangerous fort of the ferpentine generation ; muft not one think, that
the Aboriginal Americans chofe it, as a ftrong emblem of the certain cure
of the bite of the old ferpent in Eden.

That the women and children, and thofe worthlefs fellows who have
not hazarded their lives in defence of their holy places and holy things,
and for the beloved people, may not be entirely godlefs, one of the old be¬
loved men lays down a large quantity of the fmall-leafed green tobacco, on
the outfide of a corner of the iacred fquare; and an old beloved woman,
carries it off, and diftributes it to the finners without, in large pieces, which
they chew heartily, and fwallow, in order to afflid their foul?. She com¬
mends thofe who perform the dury with cheerfulnefs, and chides thofe who
feem to do it unwillingly, by their wry faces on account of the bitternefs
of the fuppofed fandifying herb. She diftributes it in fuch quantities, as
ftie thinks are equal to their capacity of finning, giving to the reputed,
worthlefs old He-hen-pickers, the proportion only of a child, becaufe Ihe
thinks fuch fpiritlefs pidures of men cannot fin with married women; as all
the females love only the virtuous manly warrior, who has often fuccefsfully
accompanied the beloved ark.

Itrthe time of this general faft, the women, children, and men of weak
conftitutions, are allowed to eat, as foon as they are certain the fun
has begun to-decline from his meridian altitude; but not before that pe¬
riod. Their indulgence to the fick and weak, feems to be derived from di¬
vine precept, which forbad the offering of facrifice at the coil of mercy *
and the fnake-root joined with their fandifying bitter green tobacco, feem
to be as ftrong exprdfive emblems as they could have poffibly chofen, ac¬
cording to their fituation iir life, to reprefent the facred inftitution of
eating the pafchal lamb, with bitter herbs •, and to ihew, that though the
old ferpent bit us in Eden, yet there is a branch from the root of Jeffe, to
be hoped for by thofe who deny themfelves their preftnt fweet taile, which
will be a fufficient purifier, and effed the cure.

The whole time of this faft may with truth be called a faft, and to the
Archi-magut, to all the magi, and pretended prophets, in particular; for, by

ancient.

104 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

ancient cuftom, the former is obliged to eat of the fanftifying fmall-leafed
tobacco, and drink the fnake-root, in a feparate hut for. the fpace of
three days and nights without any other fubfiftence, before the folemnity
begins; befides his full portion along with the reft of the religious order, and
the old war-chieftains, till the end of the general faft, which he pretends
to obferve with the ftrifteft religion. After the firft-fruits are fanflified,
he lives moft abftemioufly till the end of the annual expiation, only
fucking water-melons now and then to quench thirft, and fupport life, {pit¬
ting out the more fubftantial part.

By the Levitical law, the priefts were obliged to obferve a ftri&er fan&ity
of life than the laity; all the time they were performing the facerdotal offices,
both women and wine were ftriftly forbidden to them. Thus the Indian
religious are retentive of their facred myfteries to death, and the Archi-magus
is vifibly thin and meagre at the end of the folemnity. That rigid felf-
denial, feems to have been defigned to initiate the Levite, and give the reft
.an example of leading an innocent fimple life, that thereby they might be
able to fubdue their unruly paffions ; and that by mortifying and purifying
himfelf fo exceffively, the facrifice by paffing through his pure hands, may
be accepted, and the holy Spirit of fire atoned, according to the divine law.
The fuperannuated religious are alfo emulous in the higheft degree, of ex¬
celling one another in their long falling; for they firmly believe, that fuch
an annual felf-denying method is fo highly virtuous, when joined to an obe¬
dience of the reft of their laws, as to be the infallible means of averting evil,
and producing good things, through the new year. They declare that
a Heady virtue, through the divine co-operating favour, will infallibly infure
them a lafting round of happinefs.

At the end of this folemn faft, the women by the voice of a crier,
bring to the outfide of the holy fquare, a plentiful variety of the old
year’s food newly dreft, which they lay down, and immediately return
home; for every one of them know their feveral duties, with regard both
■to time and place. The centinels report the affair, and foon afterward the
waiters by order go, and reaching their hands over the holy ground, they
bring in the provifions, and fet them down before the familhed multitude.
Though moft of the people may have feen them, they reckon it vicious and
mean to Ihew a gladnefs for the end of their religious duties; and fhameful

7 ‘heir religious fejlivals, fajls, &c. ] 05

to haften the holy attendants, as they are all capable of their facred offices.
They are as dridt obfervers of all their fct forms, as the Ifraelites were of
thofe they had from divine appointment.

Before noon, the temple is fo cleared of every thing the women brought
to the fquare, that the feftival after that period, refembles a magical enter¬
tainment that had no reality in it, confiding only in a delufion of the fenfes.
The women then carry the veflels from the temple to the water, and walh
them clean for fear of pollution. As foon as the fun is vifibly declining
from his meridian, this third day of the fall, the Arcbi-magus orders a
religious attendant to cry aloud to the crowded town, that the holy fire is
to be brought out for the facred altar — commanding every one of them
to (lay within their own houfes, as becomes the beloved people, without
doing the lead bad thing—and to be fure to extinguilh, and throw away
every fpark of the old fire; otherwife, the divine fire will bite them feverely
with bad difeafes, ficknefs, and a great many other evils, which he fenten-
tioufly enumerates, and finilhes his monitory caution, by laying life and
death before them.

Now every thing is huflied.—Nothing but filence all around: the Arcbi-
magus , and his beloved waiter, rifing up with a reverend carriage, deady
countenance, and compofed behaviour, go into the beloved place, or holied,
to bring them out the beloved fire. The former takes a piece of
dry poplar, willow, or white oak, and having cut a hole, fo as not to
reach through it, he then lharpens another piece, and placing that with
the hole between his knees, he drills it brilkly for feveral minutes, till
it begins to fmoke — or, by rubbing two pieces together, for about
a quarter of an hour, by friftion he collects the hidden fire ; which
all of them reckon to immediately iffue from the holy Spirit of fire. The
Mufkohge call the fire their grandfather—and the fupreme Father of man¬
kind, Efakata-Emijhe , “ the breath mader,” as it is commonly explained.
When the fire appears, the beloved waiter cherilhes it with fine chips,
or fhaved fplinters of pitch-pine, which had been depofited in the
holied: then he takes the unfullied wing of a fwan, fans it gently, and
cherilhes it to a flame. On this, the Arcbi-magus brings it out in an old
earthen vefifel, whereon he had placed it, and lays it on the facred altar,
which is under an arbour, thick-weaved a-top with green boughs. It is
Obfervable, thaf when the Levites laid wood on the facred fire, it was un-

j 0 6 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

lawful for them either to blow it with bellows, or their breath. The
Magians, or followers of Zoroaftcr, poured oil on their fuppofed holy fire,
and left it to the open air to kindle it into flame. Is not this religious cere¬
mony of thefe defolate Indians a ftrong imitation, or near refemblance of the
Jewilh cuftoms ?

Their hearts are enlivened with joy at the appearance of the reputed holy
fire, as the divine fire is fuppofed to atone for all their paft crimes, except
murder: and the beloved waiter lhews his pleafure, by his cheerful induftry
in feeding it with dry freth wood; for they put no rotten wood on it, any
more than the Levites would on their facred altars. Although the peo¬
ple without, may well know what is tranfadling within, yet, by order, a
crier informs them of the good tidings, and orders an old beloved woman
to pull a balket-full of the new-ripened fruits, and bring them to the be¬
loved lquare. As (he before had been appointed, and religioufly prepared
for that folemn occafion, (he readily obeys, and foon lays it down with a
cheerful heart, at the out-corner of the beloved' fquare. By ancient cuftom,
(he may either return home, or iland there, till the expiation of fin hath
been made, which is thus performed—The Arcbi-magus, or fire-maker,
rifes from his white feat and walks northward three times round the holy
fire, with a (low pace, and in a very fedate and grave manner, (lopping now
and then, and fpeaking certain old ceremonial words with a low voice and a
rapidity of exprelfion, which none underftand but a few of the old be¬
loved men, who equally fecrete their religious myfteries, that they may
not be prophaned. He then takes a little of each fort of the new har-
ved, which the old woman had brought to the extremity of the fup'
pofed holy ground, rubs fome bear’s oil over it, and offers it up toge¬
ther with fome flelb, to the bountiful holy Spirit of fire, as a firft-fruit
offering, and an annual oblation for fin. He likewife confecrates the but-
ton-fnake-root, and the cufleena, by pouring a little of thofe two llrong
deco&ions into the pretended holy fire. He then purifies the red and white
feats with thofe bitter liquids, and fits down. Now, every one of the out¬
laws who had been catched a tripping, may fafely creep out of their lurking
holes, anoint themfelves, and drefs in their fined, to pay their grateful
thanks at an awful didance, to the forgiving divine fire. A religious
waiter is foon ordered to call to the women around, to come for the facred
fire: they gladly obey.—When they come to the outfide of the quad¬
rangular holy ground, the Arcbimagtu addrelfes the warriors, and gives

them

Tbeir religious feftivals, fajls, £ 3 c. 107

them all the particular pofitive injunftions, and negative precepts they yet
retain of the ancient law, relating to their own- manly ftation. Then he
changes his note, and ufes a much (harper language to the women, as fuf-
Jpefting their former virtue. He firft tells them very earneftly, that if
there are any of them who have not extinguifhed the old evil fire, or have
contrafled any impurity, they mull forthwith depart, left the divine fire
ftiould fpoil both them and the people ; he charges them to be fure not to
give the children a bad example of eating any unfanftified, or impure food,
otherwife they will get full of worms, and be devoured by famine and dif-
eafes, and bring many other dangerous evils both upon themfelves, and all
the beloved, or holy people. This feems to allude to the theocratic go¬
vernment of the Jews, when fuch daring criminals were afflifted with imme¬
diate and vifible divine punithment.

In his female lefture, he is (harp and prolix : he urges them with much
earneftnefs to an honeft obfervance of the marriage-law, which may be
readily excufed, on account of the prevalent paffion of felf-intereft. Our
Own chriftian orators do not exert themfelves with half the eloquence or
eagernefs, as when that is at ftake which they moft value. And the old
wary favage has fenfe enough to know, that the Indian female virtue is
very brittle, not being guarded fo much by inward principle, as the fear of
fhame, and of incurring fevere punifhment; but if every bufh of every
thicket was an hundred-eyed Argos, it would not be a fufficient guard over
a wanton heart. So that it is natural they (hould fpeak much on this part
of the fubjeft, as they think they have much at ftake. After that, he ad-
drefles himfelf to the whole body of the people, and tells them, in ra*.
pid bold language, with great energy, and expreflive geftures of body,
to look at the holy fire, which again has introduced all thofe (hameful
adulterous criminals into focial privileges ■, he bids them not to be guilty
of the like for time to come, but be fure to remember well, and ftrongly
(hake hands with the old beloved ftraight fpeech, otherwife the divine fire,
which fees, hears, and knows them, will fpoil them exceedingly, if at
any time they relapfe, and commit that deteftable crime. Then he enu¬
merates all the fuppofed lefler crimes, and moves the audience by the great
motives of the hope of temporal good, and the fear of temporal evil, alluring
them, that upon their careful obfervance of the ancient law, the holy fire
will enable their prophets, the rain-makers, to procure them plentiful har-
vefts, and give their war-leaders viftory over their enemies—and by the
P 2 commu-

1 0 8 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

communicative power of their holy things, health and profperity are certain:
but on failure, they are to expert a great many extraordinary calamities,
fuch as hunger, uncommon difeafes, a fubjertion to witchcraft, and cap¬
tivity and death by the hands of the hateful enemy in the woods, where the
wild fowls will eat their flelh, and beafts of prey deftroy the remaining
bones, fo as they will not be gathered to their forefathers—becaufe their ark
abroad, and beloved things at home, would lol'e their virtual power of
averting evil. He concludes, hy advifing them to a ftrirt obfervance of
their old rites and cuftoms, and then every thing fhall go well with them.
He foon orders fome of the religious attendants to take a fufficient quantity
of the fuppofed holy fire, and lay it down on the outfide of the holy ground,
for all the houfes of the various affociated towns, which fometimes lie i'eve-
ral miles apart. The women, hating (harp and grave lefions, fpeedily take
it up, gladly carry it home, and lay it down on their unpolluted hearths*
with the profpeft of future joy and peace.

While the women are running about, and getting ready to drefs the
fanrtified new-fruits on the facred fire, the Archi-magus fends a religious
attendant to pull fome cufleena, or yopon, belonging to the temple
and having parched it brown on the altar, he boils it with clear running
water in a large earthen pot, about half full ; it has fuch a ftrong
body, as to froth above the top by pouring it up and down with
their confecrated veflels, which are kept only for that ufe: of this they
drink now and then, till the end of the feftival, and on every other reli¬
gious occafion from year to year. Some of the old beloved men, through a
religious emulation in fanrtifying themfelves, often drink this, and other bit¬
ter decortions, to fuch excefs, as to purge themfelves very feverely—when
they drink it, they always invoke YO Ha Wah.,

If any of the warriors are confined at home by ficknefs,. or wounds,
and are either deemed incapable or unfit to come to the annual expiation,
they are allowed one of the old confecrated conch-fhellsTull of their
fanrtifying bitter cufleena, by their magi. The traders hear them often
difpute for it,.as their proper due, by ancient cuftom : and they often repeat
their old religious ceremonies to one another, efpecially that part which
they imagine moil afferts their prefent welfare ■, the aged are fent to in-
ftruft the young ones in thefe particulars. The above allowance, feems
to be derived from the divine precept of mercy, in allowing a fecond paff-

over

Their religious fejlivals, fafts, &e. 109

over irr favour of thofe who could not go, or were not admitted to the
firft; and the latter cuftom, to be in obedience to the divine law, which
their fuppofed progenitors were to write oil the pods of the doors, to wear
as frontlets before their eyes, and teach to their children.

Though the Indians do not ufe fait in their firft-fruit-oblation till the
fourth day; it is not to be doubted but they formerly did. They reckon
they cannot obferve the annual expiation of fins, without bear’s oil, both to
mix with that yearly offering, and to eat with the new fandlified fruits;
and fome years they have a great deal of trouble in killing a fufficient quan¬
tity of bears for the ufe of this religious folemnity, and their other facred
tites for the approaching year; for at fuch feafons they are hard to be found,,
and quite lean. The traders commonly fupply themfelves with plenty of
this oiL from winter to winter y but the Indians are fo prepofleffed with a
notion of the white people being all impure and accurfed, that they deem
their oil as polluting on thofe' facred occafions, as Jofephus tells us the
Jews reckoned that of die Greeks. An Indian warrior will nor light
his pipe at a white man’s fire if he fufpedts any unfandtified food has been
dreffed at it in the new year. And in the time of the new-ripened fruits,
their religious men carry a flint, punk, and fteel, when they vifit us, for
fear of polluting themfelves by lighting their pipes at our fuppofed Leak
ookproofe, “ accurfed fire,” and fpoiling the power of their holy things. The
polluted would, if known, be infallibly anathamatized, and expelled from
the temple, with the women, who are fufpedled of gratifying their vici¬
ous tafte.. During the eight days feftival, they are forbidden even to touch
the Ikin of a female child : if they are detedted, either in cohabiting with,
or laying their hand on any of their own wives, in that facred interval,
they are ftripped naked, and the offender is univerfally deemed fo atrocious
a criminal, that he lives afterwards a miferable life. Some have foot them-
lelves dead, rather than Hand the foame, and the long year’s continual re¬
proaches call upon, them, for eyery mifchaoce that befalls any of their,
people, or the enfuing harveff,—a neceffary effedt of the divine anger, they
fay, for fuch a crying fin of pollution. An inftance of this kind I heard
happened fome years ago in Talaff, a town of the Mulkohge, feven. miles
above the Alebama garrifon.

When we confider how fparingly they eat in their ufual way of liv¬
ing, it is furprizing to fee what a vaft quantity of food they confume-
5 on.

no On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

on their feftival days. It would equally furprize a ftranger to fee how
exceedingly they vary their dilhes, their dainties confiding only of dried
flelh, fifli, oil, corn, beans, peafe, pompions, and wild fruit. During this
rejoicing time, the warriors are dreft in their wild martial array, with their
heads covered with white down : they carry feathers of the fame colour,
either in their hands, or fattened to white fcraped canes, as emblems
of purity, and fcepters of power, while they are dancing in three cir¬
cles, and finging their religious praifes around the facred arbour, in
which ftands the holy fire. Their mufic confifts of two clay-pot drums,
covered on the top with thin wet deer-lkins, drawn very tight, on which
each of the noify muficians beats with a (lick, accompanying the noife with
their voices; at the fame time, the dancers prance it away, with wild
and quick Aiding fteps, and variegated poftures of body, to keep time
with the drums, and the rattling calaba(hes (haked by fome of their
religious heroes, each of them finging their old religious fongs, and
ftriking notes in tympana et choro. Such is the graceful dancing, as well
as the vocal and inftrumental mufic of the red Hebrews on religious
and martial occafions, which they mutt have derived from early antiquity.
Toward the conclufion of the great feftival, they paint and drefs themfelves
anew, and give themfelves the moll terrible appearance they poffibly can.
They take up their war-inftruments, and fight a mock-battle in a very exaft
manner: after which, the women are called to join in a grand dance, and
if they difobey the invitation they are fined. But as they are extremely fond
of fuch religious exercife, and deem it produftive of temporal good,
all foon appear in their fined apparel, as before fuggefted, decorated
with filver ear-bobs, or pendants to their ears, feveral rounds of white
beads about their necks, rings upon their fingers, large wire or broad
plates of filver on their wrifts, their heads (hining with oil, and torrepine-fhells
containing pebbles, fattened to deer-(kins, tied to the outfide of their legs.
Thus adorned, they join the men in three circles, and dance a confider-
iible while around the facred fire, and then they feparate.

At the conclufion of this long and folemn feftival, the Archi-magus orders
one of the religious men to proclaim to all the people, that their facred
annual folemnity is now ended, and every kind of evil averted from the
beloved people, according to the old ftraight beloved fpeech; they mutt
.therefore paint themfelves, and come along with him according to ancient
5 cuftom.

Their religious feftivals, fa/ls, &e. hi

cuftom. As they know the ftated time, the joyful found prefently reaches
their longing ears: immediately they fly about to grapple up a kind
of chalky clay,.to paint themfelves white. By their religious emulation,
they foon appear covered with that emblem of purity, and join at the out-
flde of the holy ground, with all who had fanftified themfelves within it,
who are likewife painted, fome with Breaks, and others all over, as white
as the clay can make them: recufants would undergo a heavy penalty.
They go along in a very orderly folemn proceflion, to purify themfelves in
running water. The Archi-magus heads the holy train—his waiter next—
the beloved men according to their feniority — and the warriors by their
reputed merit. The women follow them in the fame orderly manner, with
all the children that can walk, behind them, ranged commonly according
to their height •, the very little ones they carry in their arms. Thofe,
who are known to have eaten of the unfanftified fruits, bring up the
rear. In this manner the proceflion moves along, finging Aleluiak to
YO He Wah, &c. till they get to the water, which is generally contiguous,
when the Archi-magus jumps into it, and all the holy train follow him, in
the fame order they obferved from the temple. Having purified themfelves,
or wafhed away their fins, they come out with joyful hearts, believing them¬
felves out of the reach of temporal evil, for their pad vicious conduft: and
they return in the fame religious cheerful manner, into the middle of the
holy ground, where having made a few circles, finging and dancing around
the altar, they thus finifh their annual greac feftival, and depart in joy and
peace.

Ancient writers inform us, that while the Scythians or Tartars were hea¬
thens, their priefts in the time of their facrifices, took fome blood, and
mixing it with milk, horfe-dung, and earth, got on a tree, and having ex¬
horted the people, they fprinkled them with it, in order to purify them, and
defend them from every kind of evil: the heathens alfo excluded fome
from religious communion. The Egyptians excommunicated thofe who ate
of animals that bore wool, or cut the throat of a goat *. And in ancient
times, they, and the Phoenicians, Greeks, &c. adored the ferpent, and ex¬
pelled thofe who killed it. The Eall-lndians likewife, drive thofe from the

* - . Lanatis animalibus abftinet omnis

Mcnfa ; nefas illic fastum jugularc capelhe.

Juvenal, Sat. xr.

fuppofed

112 On the drfeent of the American Indians from the Jews.

fuppofed benefit of their altars, who eat of a cow, and drink wine, or
that eat with foreigners, or an inferior cafl. Though the heathen world
offered facrifire, had ablutions, and feveral other forts of purifications,
and frequently by fire; yet at the bell, their religious obfervances differed
widely from the divine inflitutions s whereas the American Aborigines
obferve drift purity, in the mod efiential parts of the divine law. Ti>e
former concealed their various worfhip from the light of the fun; fome
feeking thick groves, others defeending into the deep valleys, others crawl¬
ing to get into caverns, and under their favourite rocks. But we find rite
latter, in their date-houfes and temples, following the Jerufalem copy in a
furprizing manner. - Thofe of them who yet retain a fuppofed mod holy
place, contrary to the ufage of the old heathen world, have it Handing at the
wed end of the holy quadrangular ground : and they always appoint thofe of
the meaned rank, to fit on the feats of the eadern fquare, fo that their
backs are to the ead, and faces to the wed *. The red fquare looks north;
and the fecond men’s cabbin, as the traders term the other fquare, of courfe
looks fouth, which is a drong imitation of Solomon’s temple, that was mo¬
delled according to the divine plan of the Ifraelitifh camp in the wildernefs.
We find them alfo fanftifying themfelves, according to the emblematical
laws of purity, offering their annual facrifice in the centre of their quadran¬
gular temples, under the meridian light of the fun. Their magi are de¬
voted to, and bear the name of the great holy One; their fuppofed pro¬
phets likewife that of the divine fire-, and each of them bear the emblems
of purity and holinefs—while in their religious duties, they fing Aleluiah,
TO He Wah, &c. both day and night. Thus different are the various gods,

• The Hebrews had two prefidents in the great fynhedrion. The firfl was called Kajbe ft,

“ a prince of God." They elefled him on account of his wifdom : The fecond was called
JtoJb Ha-Yojbibbab, •• the father of the aflembly he was chief in the great council. And
at Ittb Jin, or “ the father of the conliftory," fat at his right hand, as the chief of the
feventy-two, of which the great fynhedrion confided, the reft fitting according to their merit,
in a gradual declenfion from the prince, to the end of the femicircle. The like order is ob-
ferved by the Indians,—and Jer. ii. ay, God commanded the Jfraelites, that they Ihould not
turn their backs to him, but their faces toward the propitiatory, when they worlhipped him.

I remember, in Koofah, the uppermoft weftern town of the Mufkohge, which was a place
cf refuge, their fuppofed holieft confuted of a neat houfe, in the centre of the weftero
fquare, and the door of it was in the fouth gable-end clofe to the white cabbin, each on a
direft line, north and fouth.

temples,

Their folemn j'eajl of love. 113

temples, prophets, and priefts of all the idolatrous nations of antiquity,
from the favage Americans; which Ihews with convincing clearnefs, efpe-
cially by recollefling the former arguments, that the American Aborigines
were never idolaters, nor violated the fecond commandment in worlhipping
the incomprehenfible, omniprefent, divine effence, after the manner defcribed
by the popilh hiftorians of Peru and Mexico; but that the greateft part
of their civil and religious fyftem, is a ftrong old pifture of the Ifraelitifh,
much lefs defaced than might be reafonably expefted from the circum-
ftances of time and place.

Every fpring feafon, one town or more of the Miflifippi Floridians, keep
a great folemn feaft of love, to renew their old friendfhip. They call this
annual feaft, Hottuk Aimpa , Heettla, Tan m, “ the people eat, dance, and
walk as twined together”—The Ihort name of their yearly feaft of love,
is Hottuk Impanaa, “ eating by a ftrong religious, or focial principle;”
Impanaa fignifies feveral threads or ftrands twifted, or warped together.
Hiffoobijlarakjhc, and Telphoba Panaa, is “ a twifted horfe-rope,” and “ warped
garter This is aHo contrary to the ufage of the old heathen world,
whofe feftivals were in honour to their chief idols, and very ofcen accom¬
panied with deteftable lewdnefs and debauchery.

They afiemble three nights previous to their annual feaft of love; on the
fourth night they eat together. During the intermediate fpace, the young
nien and women dance in circles from the evening till morning. The men
mafque their faces with large pieces of gourds of different Ihapes and
hieroglyphic paintings. Some of them fix a pair of young buffalo horns to
their head ; others the tail, behind. When the dance and their time is ex¬
pired, the men turn out a hunting, and bring in a fufficient quantity of
venifon, for the feaft of renewing their love, and confirming their friendfhip
with each other. The women drefs it, and bring the beft they have along
with it; which a few fprings paft, was only a variety of Efau’s fmall red
acorn pottage, as their crops had failed. When they have eaten together,
they fix in the ground a large pole with a bufh tied at the top, over which

• The name of a horfe-rope is derived from Tarikjht “ to tie," and H'tjpxba “ an elk,
or horfe that carries a burthen which fuggefts that they formerly faw elks carry burthens,
though perhaps not in the northern provinces.

Q.

they

114 On the defccnt of the American Indians from the Jews.

they throw a ball. Till the corn is in, they meet there almoft every day,
and play for venifon and cakes, the men againft the women 5 which the
old people fay they have obferved for time out of mind;

Before I conclude this argument, I mud here obferve, that when the In¬
dians meet at night to gladden.and unite theirhearts before Yohewah, they
fing Yobcwa-Jhoo Ycbem-Jboo, Yobewabjhce Yobewajhcc, and Yobewabjbai Yo-
bewabjbai, with much, energy. The firft word is nearly in Hebrew cha-
rafters, yOTP, the name of Jofliua, or faviour, Numb. xiii. 8. That y is
properly exprefied by our double vowel 00, let it be obferved, that as hyn is
“ a ruler,” or “commanding”—fo the Indians fay Boole Hakfe “ ftrjke a
“ perfon, that is criminal.” In like manner, they fing Mejbi To, Mejbi Yo,
Mejbi He, Mejbi He, Mejbi Wab Mejbi Wab -, likewifc, Mejbi Hah To, &c. -, and
Mejbi Wab Hub Mejbi Wab He, tranfpoflng and accenting each fyllable dif¬
ferently, fo as to make them appear different words* But they commonly
make thofe words end with one fyllable of the divine name,. To He IVab, If
we connect this with the former part of the fubjedt, and confider they are
commonly anointed all over, in the time of their religious, fongs and cir¬
cuiting dances, the words feem to glance at the Hebrew original, and per¬
haps they arc fometimes fynonymous; for ID!? fignifies oil; the perfoa
anointed rero, Mejfiab , and he who anointed irmyo, which with the Indians
is Mejhibab To.

That thefe red favages formerly underftood the radical meaning, and em¬
blematical defign, of the important words they ufe in their religious dances
and facred hymns, is pretty obvious, if we confider the reverence they pay
to the myfterious divine name YO He Wah, in paufing during a long
breath on each of the twq firft fyllables ; th?ir defining good by joining IVab
to the end of a word, which otherwife exprelfes moral evil, as before noticed;
and again by making the fame word a negative of good, by l'eparating the
firft fyllable of that divine name into two fyllables, and adding U as a fuper-
lative termination, Y-O-U: all their facred fongs feem likewife to illuftrate
it very clearly v Halelu-Yah, Sbilu Wab, Mejbi Wab, Mejhiba Yo, See. The
words which they repeat in their divine hymns, while dancing in three circles
around their fuppofed holy fire, are deemed fo facred, that they have not been
known ever to mention them at any other time: and as they are a molt ereft

people,.

Their daily facrifice. 115

people, their bowing pofture during the time of thofe religious acclamations
and invocations, helps to confirm their Hebrew origin.

ARGUMENT IX.

The Hebrews offered daily sacrifice, which the prophet Daniel calls
Tamid, “ the daily.” It was an offering of a lamb every morning and
evening, at the charges of the common treafury of the temple, and except the
fkin and intrails, it was burnt to afhes—upon which account they called ir,
Oolab Kalile, to afeend and confume. The Indians have a fimilar religious
fervice. The Indian women always throw a fmall piece of the fatteft of
the meat into the fire when they arc eating, and frequently before they be¬
gin to eat. Sometimes they view it with a pleafing attention, and pretend
to draw omens from it. They firmly believe fuch a method to be a great
means of producing temporal good things, and of averting thofe that are
evil: and they are fo far from making this fat-offering through pride or hy-
pocrify, that they perform it when they think they are not leen by thofe of
contrary principles, who might ridicule them without teaching them better.

Inftead of blaming their religious conduct, as fome have done, I advifed
them to perfift in their religious duty to IJhtoboollo Aba , becaufe he never
failed to be kind to thofe who firmly fhaked hands with the old beloved
fpeech, particularly the moral precepts, and after they died, he would bring
them to their beloved land; and took occafion to fhew them the innumer¬
able advantages their reputed forefathers were bleft with, while they obeyed
the divine law.

The white people, (I' had almoft faid chriftians) who have become Indian
profelytes of juftice, by living accbrding to the Indian religious fyftem,
affure us, that the Indian men obferve the daily facrifice both at home, and
in the woods, with new-killed venifon ; but that otherwife they decline
it. The difficulty of getting fait for religious ufes from the fea-fhore, and
likewife its irritating quality when eaten by thofe who have green wounds,
might in time occafion them to difeontinue that part of the facrifice.

0^2 They

u 6 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

They make fait for domeftic ufe, out of a faltilh kind of grafs, which
grows on rocks, by burning it to allies, making ftrong lye of it, and
boiling it in earthen pots to a proper confidence. They do not offer
any fruits of the field, except at the firft-fruit-offering: fo that their
negleft of facrifice, at certain times, feems not to be the effect of an igno¬
rant or vicious, but of their intelligent and virtuous difpofition, and to be
a ftrong circumftantial evidence of their Ifraelitilh extradlion.

Though they believe the upper heavens to be inhabited by IJhlohoollo
Ala, and a great multitude of inferior good fpirits 5 yet they are firmly per-
fuaded that the divine omniprelent Spirit of fire and light refides on earth,
in their annual facred fire while it is unpolluted ; and that he kindly ac¬
cepts their lawful offerings, if their own canduft is agreeable to the old
divine law, which was delivered to their forefathers. The former notion
of the Deity, is agreeable to thofe natural images, with which the divine
penmen, through all the prophetic writings, have drawn Yohewah Elohim.
When God was pleafed with Aaron’s priefthood and offerings, the holy fire
defcended and confumed the burnt-offering on the altar, &c.

By the divine records of the Hebrews, this was the emblematical
token of the divine prefence ; and the fmoke of the viftim afcending toward
heaven, is reprefented as a fweet favour to God. The people who have
lived fo long apart from the reft of mankind, are not to be wondered at, if
they have forgotten the end and meaning of the facrifice; and are rather to
be pitied for feeming to believe, like the ignorant part of the Ifraelites,
that the virtue is either in the form of offering the facrifice, or in the di¬
vinity they imagine to refide on earth in the facred annual fire j likewife,
for feeming to have forgotten that the virtue was in the thing typified.

In the year 1748, when I was at the Koosah on my way. to the Chikkafah
country, I had a converfation on this fubjeft, with feveral of the more in¬
telligent of the Mufkohge traders. One of them told me, that juft before,
while he and feveral others were drinking fpirituous liquors with the In¬
dians, one of the warriors having drank to excefs, reeled into the fire, and
burned himfelf very much. He roared, foamed, and fpoke the worft things
againft God, that their language could exprefs. He upbraided him with

ingratitude.

*7

Their religious offerings.

ingratitude, for having treated him fo barbaroufly in return for his religious
offerings, affirming he had always facrificed to him the firft young buck he
killed in the new year; as in a conftant manner he offered him when at
home, fome of the fatteft of the meat, even when he was at Ihort allow¬
ance, on purpofe that he might Ihine upon him as a kind God.—And he
added, “ now you have proved as an evil fpirit, by biting me fo feverely
who was your conftant devotee, and are a kind God to thofe accurfed no¬
things, who are laughing at you as a rogue, and at me as a fool, I allure
you, I (hall renounce you from this time forward, and inftead of making
you look merry with fat meat, you fliall appear fad with water, for fpoiling
the old beloved fpeech. I am a beloved warrior, and confequently I fcorn
to lie; you lhall therefore immediately fly up above the clouds, for I Ihall
pifs upon you.” From that time, his brethren laid, God forfook that ter-
reftrial refidence, and the warrior became godlefs. This information exaiflly
agrees with many fuch inftances of Indian impiety, that happened within
my own obfervation—and (hews the bad confequences of that evil habit of
ufing fpirituous liquors intemperately, which they have been taught by the
Europeans.

The Indians have among them the refemblance of the Jewilh Sin-Offir-
inc, and Trespass-Offering, for they commonly pull their new-killed
venifon (before they drefs it) feveral times through the fmoke and flame of
the fire, both by the way of a facrifice, and to confume the blood, life, or
animal fpirits of the beaft, which with them would be a moft horrid abomi¬
nation to eat. And they facrifice in the woods, the milt, or a large fat
piece of the firft buck they kill, both in their fummer and winter hunt j
and frequently the whole carcafs. This they offer up, either as a thankf-
giving for the recovery of health, and for their former fuccefs in hunting •,
or that the divine care and goodnefs may be ftill continued to them.

When the Hebrews doubted whether they had finned againft any of the
divine precepts, they were obliged by the law to bring to the prieft a ram of
their flock, to be facrificed, which they called Afcham. When the prieft
offered this, the perfon was forgiven. Their facrifices and offerings were cal¬
led Shilomim , as they typified Shilo-Berith, “ the purifying root,” who was
to procure them peace, reft, and plenty. The Indian imitates the Ifraelite
7 in

118 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

■in his religious offerings, according to the circumftances of things; the
Hebrew laid his hands on the head of the clean and tame victim,
to load it with his fins, when it was to be killed. The Indian religi-
oufly chufes that animal which in America comes neaFell to the divine
law of facrifice, according to what God has enabled him ; he Ihoots down
a buck, and facrifices either the whole carcafs, or lome choice part of it,
upon a fire of green wood to burn away, and afcend to Tohewab. Then
he purifies himfelf in water, and believes himfelf fecurc from temporal evils.
Formerly, every hunter obferved the very fame religious ceconomy ; but
now it is prattifed only by thofe who are the molt retentive of their old
religious myfteries.

The Mulkohge Indians facrifice a piece of every deer they kill at their
hunting camps, or near home -, if the latter, they dip their middle finger in
the broth, and fprinkle it over the domeftic tombs of their dead, to keep
them out of the power of evil fpirits, according to their mythology •, which
feems to proceed from a traditional knowledge, though corruption of the
Hebrew law of fprinkling and of blood.

The Indians obferve another religious cuftom of the Hebrews, ’in mak¬
ing a Peace-Offering, or facrifice of gratitude, if the Deity in the fuppofed
holy ark is propitious to their campaign againft the enemy, and brings
them all fafe home. If they have loft any in war, they always decline it,
becaufe they imagine by fome negleft of duty, they are impure : then they
only mourn their vicious conduft which defiled the ark, and thereby oc-
cafioned the lofs. Like the Ifraelites, they believe their fins are the true
caufe of all their evils, and that the divinity in their ark, will always blefs
the more religious party with the belt fuccefs. This is their invariable fen-
timent, and is the foie reafon of their mortifying themfelves in fo fevere a
manner while they are out at war, living very fcantily, even in a buffalo-
range, under a ftridt rule, left by luxury their hearts Ihould grow evil, and
give them occafion to mourn.

The common fort of Indians, in thefe corrupt times, only facrifice a
fmall piece of unfalted fat meat, when they are rejoicing in the divine pre¬
fence, finging To To, &c. for their fucCefs and fafety: but, according to
the religious cuftom of the Hebrews, who offered facrifices of thankfgiving
' 1 for

rig

Their religious offerings. i

fbr every notable favour that Elohim had conferred either on individuals,,
or the body,—both the war-leader and his religious affiftant go into the woods
as foon as they are purified, and there facrifice the firft deer they kill j.
yet, as hath been obferved, they always celebrate the annual expiation of fins
in their religious temples.

The red Hebrews imagine their temples to have fuch a typical holinefs,
more than any other place, that if they offered up the annual facrifice elfe-
where, it would not atone for the people, but rather bring down the anger
of IJhtohoollo Aba , and utterly fpoil the power of their holy places and holy
things. They who facrifice in the woods, do it only on the particular occa-
fions now mentioned ; unlefs incited by a dream, which they efteem a mo¬
nitory leffon of the Deity, according to a fimilar opinion of the Hebrews.
To conclude this argument, it is well known, that the heathens offered the
mod: abominable and impure facriftces to a multiplicity of idol gods •, fome
on favourite high places, others in thick groves, yea, offerings of their own
children were made! and they likewife proftituted their young women in'
honour of their deities. The former is fo atrocious in the eyes of the Ame¬
rican Hebrews, that they reckon there needs no human law to prevent fo
unnatural a crime; the vilefl reptiles being endued with an intenfe love to'
their young ones : and as to the latter, if even a great war-leader is known'
to cohabit with his own wife, while fan&ifymg himfelf according to their
mode on any religious occafion, he is deemed unclean for the fpace of'
three days and nights; or fhonld he during the annual atonement of
fins, it is deemed fo dangerous a pollution, as to demand a ftriift ex-
clufion from the reft of the fanftified head-men and warriors, till the ge¬
neral atonement has been made at the temple, to appeafe the offended
Deity : befides, as a fhameful badge of his impiety, his clothes are ftripped
off. Thus different are the various modes and fubjedls of the heathenifh
worfhip and offerings, from thofe of the favage Americans. The furprizing,
purity the latter ftill obferve in their religious ceremonies, under the circum-
ftances of time and place, points ftrongly at their origin.

A R G U- •

UP On the defcent of the American Indians from the few.

ARGUMENT X.

The Hebrews had various Ablutions and Anointincs, according to the
Mofaic ritual—and all the Indian nations conftantly obferve fimilar cudoms
from religious motives. Their frequent bathing, or dipping themfelves and
their children in rivers, even in the fevered weather, feems to be as truly
Jewilh, as the other rites and ceremonies which have been mentioned. Fre-
qqent wafhing of the body was highly neceffary to the health of the Hebrews
in their warm climate, and populous date—but it is ufelels in this point of
view to the red Americans, as their towns are widely didant from each other,
thin peopled, and fituated in cold regions. However, they praftile it as a
religious duty, unlefs in very hot weather, which they find by experience to
be prejudicial to their health, when they obferve die law of mercy, rather
than that of lacrifice. In the cplded weather, and when the ground is co¬
vered with fnow, againd their bodily eafe and pleafure, men and children
turn out of their warm hopfes or doves, reeking with fweat, Tinging their
ufual lacred notes. To To , &c. at the dawn of day, adoring YO He Wah,
at the gladfome fight of the morn; and thus they Ikip along, echoing
praifes, till they get to the river, when they indantaneoufiy plunge into it.
If the water is frozen, they break the ice with a religious impatience:
After bathing, they return home, rejoicing as they run for having fp well
performed their religious duty, and thus purged away the impurities of the
preceding day by ablution. The negleft of this hath been deemed l'o heinous
a crime, that they have raked the legs and arms of the delinquent with
fnake’s teeth, not avowing warm water to relax the ftiffened Ikin. This is
called dry-feratdiing ; for their method,of bleeding confids in fcratchipg the
legs and arms with goir-filh teeth, when the lkin has been fird well
loofened by warm water. The criminals, through a falfe imitation qf
true martial virtue, fcorn. to move themfelves in the lead out of their
crefl polture, be the pain ever fo intolerable; if they did, they would be
laughed at, even by their own relations — fird, for being vicious; and
next, for being timorous. This will help to leffen our furprize at the un¬
common patience and condancy with which they are endued, beyond the
red of mankind, in differing long-continued torture; efpecially as it is one

of

Their bathing and anointing ■. 121

of the firft, and ftrongeft impreflions they take; and they have conftant
lefions and examples of fortitude, exhibited before their eyes.

The Hebrews had convenient feparate places for their women to bathe
in, and purify themfelves as occafion required: and at the temple (and.
the fynagogues, after the captivity) they worlhipped apart from the men,
left they fhould attract one another’s attention from the divine worlhip:
and it was cuftomary for the women to go veiled, for fear of being feen,
when they walked the ftreets. No doubt but jealoufy had as great a lhare
in introducing this cuftom as modefty, efpecially while poligamy was fuf-
fered in the rich. But the fcantinefs of the Jewilh American’s circum-
ftances, has obliged them to purify themfelves in the open rivers, where
modefty forbad them to expofe their women ; who by this means, are now
lefs religious than the men in that duty, for they only purify themfelves
as their difcretion direfts them. In imitation of the Hebrew women being
kept apart from the men at their worlhip, the Indians intirely exclude their
females from their temples by ancient cuftom, except fix old beloved
women, who are admitted to fing, dance, and rejoice, in the time of their
annual expiation of fins, and then retire. In their town-houfes alfo they
feparate them from the warriors, placing them on the ground at each
fide of the entrance of the door within, as if they were only cafual fpec-
tators.

It may be objected, that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans
worlhipped their Gods, at the dawn of day: and the Perfian Magi, with all
the other worlhippers of fire, paid their religious devoirs to the riling
fun, but, as the Indians are plainly not idolaters, or poly-theifts; as they
fing to, and invoke Yah, and YO He Wah, the divine efience, as they
run along at the dawn of day to purify themfelves by ablution -, it feems
fufficiently clear, they arc not defcended from either of the laft mentioned
ftates, but that their origin is from the Ifraelites. This law of purity, bath-
ing in water, was efiential to the Jews—and the Indians to this day would
exclude the men from religious communion who neglected to obferve it.

It was cuftomary with the Jews alfo after bathing to anoint themfelves
with oil. All the orientalifts had a kind of facred refpeft to Oil ; particu¬
larly the Jews. With them, the fame word which fignified “ noon-day”
or fplendor, ins, denoted alfo “ lucid oil.”—And the olive-tree is derived
R from

122 On the defcent ef the American Indians from the Jews.

from the verb, to Ihine—Becaufe, the fruit thereof tended to give their
faces a favourite glittering colour. ’Tis well known that oil was applied by
the Jews to the moft facred, as well as common ufes. Their kings,
prophets and priefts, at their inauguration and confecration were anointed
with oil—and the promifed Saviour was himfelf defcribed, by the epi¬
thet “ anointed,” and is faid Pfal. xlv. 7. to be “ anointed with the oil of
gladnefs above his fellows.” We fhall on this point, difcover no fmall refem-
blance and conformity in the American Indians.

The Indian priefts and prophets are initiated by unftion. The Chik-
kafah fome time ago fet apart fome of their old men of the religious order.
They firft obliged them to fweat themfelves for the fpace of three days and
nights, in a fmall green hut, made on purpofe, at a confiderable diftance
from any dwelling; through a fcrupulous fear of contrafting pollution
by contact, or from the effluvia of polluted people—and a ftrong defire of
fecreting their religious mylteries. During that interval, they were allowed,
to eat nothing but green tobacco, nor to drink any thing except warm
water, highly imbittered with the button-fnake-root, to cleanfe their bodies,
and prepare them to ferve in their holy, or beloved office, before the divine:
efience, whom during this preparation they conftantly invoke by his efifen-
tial'name, as before defcribed. After which, their prieftly garments and
ornaments, mentioned under a former argument, page 84, are put on, and
then bear’s oil is poured upon their head.—If they could procure olive, or
palm oil, inftcad of bear’s oil, doubtlefs they would prefer and ufe it
in their facred ceremonies; efpecially, as they are often deftitute of theit
favourite bear’s oil for domeftic ufes.

The Jewilh women were fo exceedingly addifted to anoint their faces
and bodies, that they often preferred oil to the neceflaries of life; the
widow who addrefled herfelf to Elilha, though fhe was in the moft pinch¬
ing ftraits, and wanted every thing elfe, yet had a pot of oil to anoint her¬
felf. This cuftom of anointing became univerfal, among the eaftern na¬
tions. They were not fatisfied with perfuming themfelves with fwcet oik
and fine eflences; but anointed birds—as in the ninth ode of Anacreon ;

Tot unde nunc odores ?

Hue advolans per auras,

Spirafque, depluifque.;

Tire

Their anointing. 123

The poet introduces two doves converfing together 5 one of which car¬
ried a letter to Bathyllus, the anointed beau •, and the other wiihes her much
joy, for her perfumed wings that diffufed fuch an agreeable fmell around.
And the fame poet orders the painter to draw this Samian beau, with his
hair wet with eflence, to give him a fine appearance. Nitidas comas ejus
facilto. Ode 29. Virgil defcribes Turnus, juft after the fame manner,

Vibratos calido ferro, myrrhaque madentes.

./Eneid, 1. 12.

Homer tells us, that Telemachus and Philiftrattis anointed their whole
bodies with efiences, after they had vifited the palace of Menelaus, and be¬
fore they fat down at table. Odylf. 1. 4.

The Jews reckoned it a Angular piece of difrefpeft to their gueft, if
they offered him no oil. When any of them paid a friendly vifit, they had
efiences prefented to anoint their heads \ to which cuftom of civility the
Saviour alludes in his reproof of the parfimonious Pharifee, at whofe houfc
he dined. Luke vii. 46.

All the Indian Americans, efpecially the female fex, reckon their bear’s
oil or greafe, very valuable, and ufe it after the fame manner as the Afiatics
did their fine efiences and fweet perfumes s the young warriors and women
are uneafy, unlefs their hair is always fhining with it; which is probably
the reafon that none of their heads are bald. But enough is faid on this
head, to Ihew that they feem to have derived this cuftom from the eaft.

ARGUMENT XI.

The Indians have cuftoms confonant to the Mofaic Laws of Unclean¬
ness. They oblige their women in their lunar retreats , to build fmall huts,
at as confiderable a diftance from their dwelling-houfes, as they imagine may
be out of the enemies reach ; where, during the fpace of that period, they
are obliged to flay at the rifque of their lives. Should they be known to
violate that ancient law, they rnuft anfwer for every misfortune that befalls
R 2 any

124 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews .

any of the people, as a certain effect of the divine fire; though the lurking
enemy fometimes kills them in their religious retirement. Notwithftanding
they reckon it conveys a molt horrid and dangerous pollution to thofe who
touch, or go near them, or walk any where within the circle of their retreats ■,
and are in fear of thereby fpoiling the luppofed purity and power of their
holy ark, which they always carry to war; yet the enemy believe they can.
fo cleanfe themfelves with the confecrated herbs, roots, &c. which the
chieftain carries in the beloved war-ark, as to fecure them in this point from <
bodily danger, becaufe it was done againft their enemies.

The non-obfervance of this reparation, a breach of the marriage-law, and .
murder, they efteem the moft capital crimes. When the time of. the wo¬
men’s reparation is ended, they always purify themfelves in deep running
water, return home, drefs, and anoint themfelves. They afcribe thefe
monthly periods, to the female ftrufture, not to the anger of ljhtohoollo Aba.

Correfpondent to the Mofaic law of women ? s purification after travel
the Indian women ablent themfelves from their hufbands and all public
company, for a confiderable time.—The Mufkohge women are feparate for
three moons, exclufive of that moon in which they are delivered. By the ■
Jewifh law, women after a male-birth were forbidden to enter the temple ■,
and even, the very touch of facred things, forty days.—And after a.female,.
the time of feparation was doubled.

Should any of the Indian women violate this law of purity, they would
be cenfured, and fuffer for any fudden ficknefs, or death that might happen
among the people, as the neceflary effeft of the divine anger for their
polluting fin, contrary to their old traditional law of female purity. Like
the greater part of the Ifraelites, it is the fear of temporal evils, and the
profpeft of temporal good, that makes them fo tenacious and obfervant of.
their laws. At the ftated period, the Indian womens impurity is finilhed by .
ablution, and they are again admitted to focial and holy privileges.

By the Levitical law, the people who had running i/fues, os fores, were
deemed unciean, and ft rift ly ordered apart from the reft, for fear of pol¬
luting them ■, for every thing they touched became unclean. The Indians,
in as ftrifl a manner, obferve the very fame law; they follow the- ancient

Ifraelitilh i

Their haws of uncleannefs and purification. 125

Ifraelitifh copy fo clofe, as to build a fmall hut at a confiderable diftance
from the houfes of the village, for every one of their warriors wounded in
war, and confine them there, (as the Jewilh lepers formerly were, without
the walls of the city) for the fpace of four moons, including that moon in
which they were wounded, as in the cafe of their women after travel: and
they keep them ftri&ly fcparate, left the impurity of the one Ihould prevent
the cure of the other, The reputed prophet, or divine phyfician, daily pays
them a due attendance, always invoking YO He Wah to blefs the means
they apply on the fad occafion ; which is chiefly mountain allum, and me¬
dicinal herbs, always injoyning a very abftemious life, prohibiting them
■women and fait in particular, during the time of the cure, or fanftifying,
the reputed finners. Like the Ifraelites, they firmly believe that fafety, or
wounds, &c. immediately proceed from the pleafed, or angry deity, for their
virtuous, or vicious conduft, in obferving, or violating the divine law.

In this long fpace of purification, each patient is allowed only a fuper-
annuated woman to attend him, , who is paft the temptations of finning with
men, left the introduftion of a young one Ihould either leduce him to
folly; or Ihe having committed it with others—or by not obferving her
appointed time of living apart from the reft, might thereby defile the
place, and totally prevent the cure. But what is yet more furprifing in -
their phyfical, or rather theological regimen, is, that the phyfician is fo re-
ligioufly cautious of not admitting polluted perfons to vifit any of his pa¬
tients, left the defilement Ihould retard the cure, or fpoil the warriors,
that before he introduces any man, even any of their priefts, who are married
according to the law, he obliges him to aflert either by a double affirma¬
tive, or by two negatives, that he has not known even his own wife, in
the fpace of the laft natural day. This law of purity was peculiar to the
Hebrews, to deem thofe unclean who cohabited with their wives, till they
purified themfelves in clean water. Now as the heathen world obferved no
fuch law, it feems that the primitive Americans derived this religious <
cuftom alfo from divine precept and that thefe ceremonial rites were origi¬
nally copied from the Mofaic inftitution.

The Ifraelites became unclean only by touching their dead , for the
fpace of feven days-, and the high-prieft was prohibited to come near
the dead. Tis much the fame with the Indians to this day. To pre¬
vent pollution, when the fick perfon is paft hope of recovery, they

x

*26 On the defcent of the American Indians from the yews.

dig a grave, prepare the tomb, anoint his hair, and paint his face; and
when his breath ceafes, they haften the remaining funeral preparations, and
foon bury the corpfe. One of a different family will never, or very rarely
pollute himfelf for a ftranger; though when living, he would cheerfully hazard
his life for his fafety: the relations, who become unclean by performing
the funeral duties, muft live apart from the clean for feveral days, and be
cleanfed by fome of their religious order, who chiefly apply the button-
fnake-root for their purification, as formerly defcribed: then they purify
themfelves by ablution. After three days, the funeral afliftants may con¬
vene at the town-houfe, and follow their ufual diverfions. But the rela¬
tions live reclufe a long time, mourning the dead. *

The Cheerake, notwithflanding they have corrupted mod of their primi¬
tive cuftoms, obferve this law of purity in fo ftrift a manner, as not to touch
the corpfe of their neareft relation though in the woods. The fear of pollu¬
tion (not the want of natural affedlion, as the unfkilful obferve) keeps them
alfo from burying their dead, in our reputed unfanCtified ground, if any die as
they are going to Charles-town, and returning home -, becaufe they are diftant
from their own holy places and holy things, where only they could peform
the religious obfequies of their dead, and purify themfelves according to law.
An incident of this kind happened feveral years fince, a little below
Ninety-Jix, as well as at the Conggarees, in South-Carolina:—at the former
place, the corpfe by our humanity was interred ; but at the latter, even the
twin-born brother of an Indian chriftian lady well known by the name of
the Dark-lanlhorn , left her dead and unburied.

The converfion of this rara avis was in the following extraordinary man¬
ner.—There was a gentleman who married her according to the manner of
the Cheerake-, but obferving that marriages were commonly of a Ihort

* One of the Cheerake traders, who now refides in the Choktah country, allures me, that
a little before the commencement of the late war with the Cheerake, when (he Bud, a native
of Nuquofe-town, died, none of the warriors wonld help to bury him, becaufe of the dan¬
gerous pollution, they imagined they ihould neceflarily contradl from fuch a white corpfe ; as he
was begotten by a white man and a half-breed Cheerake woman—and as the women are
only allowed to mourn for the death of a warrior, they could not aflill in this friendly duty.
By much folicitation, the gentleman (my author) obtained the help of an old friendly half-
bred-warrior. They interred the corpfe; but the favage became unclean, and was feparate
irom every kind of communion with the reft, for the fpace of three days.

duration.

Their ideas of purity . 127

duration in that wanton female government, he flattered himfelf of in-
grofllng her affeftions, could he be fo happy as to get her fanftified
by one of our own beloved men with a large quantity of holy water
in baptifm—and be taught the conjugal duty, by virtue of her new chrif-
tian name, when they were married a-new. As fhe was no ftranger in the
Englifh fettlements, he foon perfuaded her to go down to the Conggarees,
to get the beloved fpeech, and many tine things befide. As the prieft was
one of thole Ions of wifdom, the church fent us in her maternal benevolence,
both to keep and draw us from eflential errors, he readily knew the value
of a convert, and gral'ping at the opportunity, he changed her from a wild
favage to a believing chriltian in a trice.

He afked her a few articles of her creed, which were foon anfwered by
the bridegroom, as interpreter, from fome words Ihe fpoke on a trifling
queftion he afked her. When the priefl: propofed to her a religious quell ion,
the bridegroom, by reafon of their low ideas, and the idiom of their dia-
lefts, was obliged to mention fome of the virtues, and fay he. recommended
to her a very drift chaftity in the married ftate. “ Very well, faid Ihe, that's
a good fpeech, and fit for every woman alike, unlefs Ihe is very old —
But what fays he now ?” The interpreter, after a. Ihort paufe, replied, that
he was urging her to ufe a proper care in domeftic life. “ You evil fpirit,
laid Ihe, when was I wafteful, or carelefs at home ?” He replied, “ never” :
“ Well then, faid Hie, tell him his fpeech is troublefome and light.—But,
firft, where are thofe fine things you promifed me ?” He bid her be pa¬
tient a little, and fhe (hould have plenty of every thing fhe liked belt; at
this fhe fmiled. Now the religious man was fully confirmed in the hope of
her converfion •, however, he afked if fhe underftood, and believed that
needful article, the dodtrine of the trinity. The bridegroom fwore heartily,
that if he brought out all the other articles of his old book, fhe both knew
and believed them, for fhe was a fen Able young woman.

The bridegroom had a very difficult part to aft, both to pleafe the hu¬
mour of his Venus, and to fatisfy the inquifitive temper of our religious fon
of Apollo he behaved pretty well however, till he was defired to afk her
belief of the uni-trinity, and tri-unity of the deity ; which the beloved man
endeavoured to explain. On this, fhe fmartly afked him the fubjeft of
their long and crooked-like dilcourfe. But, as his patience was now ex-

haufled,.

128 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

haufted, inftead of anfwering her queftion, he faid with a loud voice, that he
believed the religious man had picked out all the crabbed pans of his old
book, only to puzzle and flagger her young chriftian faith; otherwife
how could he defire him to perfuade fuch a Iharp-difcerning young woman,
that one was three, and three, one ? Befides, that if his book had any fuch
.queftion, it belonged only to the deep parts of arithmetic, in which the
very Indian beloved men were untaught. He allured the prieft, that the
Indians did not mind what religion the women were of, or whether they
had any; and that the bride would take it very kindly, if he Ihortened his
■difcourfe, as nothing can difturb the Indian women fo much as long
le&ures.

The Dark-lanthorn , (which was the name of the bride) became very un-
eafy, both by the delay of time, and the various pallions lhe attentively
read in the bridegroom’s face and fpeech, and (he alked him fharply the
meaning of fuch a long difcourfe. He inftantly cried out, that the whole
affair was fpoiled, unlefs it was brought to a fpeedy conclufion: but the
•religious man infilled upon her belief of that article, before he could pro¬
ceed any farther. But by way of comfort, he aflured him it Ihould be
the very laft queftion he would propofe, till he put the holy water
on her face, and read over the marriage ceremony. The bridegroom re¬
vived at this good news, immediately fent the bowl around, with a cheerful
countenance ; which the bride obferving, lhe alked him the reafon of his
fudden joyful looks.—But, what with the length of the lefture, the clofe
application of the bowl, and an over-joy of foon obtaining his wilhes, he
propofed the wrong queftion; for inftead of alking her belief of the my-
fterious union of the tri-une deity, he only mentioned the manly faculties
of nature. The bride fmiled, 'and alked if the beloved man borrowed that
fpeech from his beloved marriage-book ? Or whether he was married, as
he was fo waggifh, and knowing in thofe affairs.—The prieft imagining
her cheerful looks proceeded from her fwallowing his doftrine, immediately
called for a bowl of water to initiate his new convert. As the bridegroom
could not mediate with his ufual friendly offices in this affair, he perfuaded
her to let the beloved man put fome beloved water on her face, and it
would be a fure pledge of a lading friendfhip between her and the Englifh,
and intitle her to every thing lhe liked belt. By the perfuafive force of
his promifes, lhe contented : and had the conftancy, though fo ignorant a

novitiate

Their ideas of contrasting pollution. 129

’novitiate in our facred myfteries, to go through her catechilm, and the long
marriage ceremony,—although it was often interrupted by the bowl. This
being over, lhe proceeded to go to bed with her partner, while the beloved
man fung a pfalm at the door, concerning the fruitful vine. Her name he
foon entered in capital letters, to grace the firft title-page of his church book
of converts; which he often Ihewed to his Englilh lheep, and with much fatis-
fa&ion would inform them how, by the co-operation of the Deity, his earned:
endeavours changed an Indian Dark-lanthorn into a lamp of chriftian light.
However, afterward to his great grief, he was obliged on account of her adul¬
teries, to erafe her name from thence, and enter it anew in fome of the
crowded pages of female delinquents.

When an Ifraelite died in any houfe or tent, all who were in it, and the
furniture belonging to it contrafted a pollution, which continued for feven
days. All likewife who touched the body of a dead perfon, or his grave,
were impure for feven days. Similar notions prevail among the Indians.
The Choktah are fo exceedingly infatuated in favour of the infallible judg¬
ment of their pretended prophets, as to allow them without the leaft
regret, to diflocate the necks of any of their fick who are in a weak ftate
of body, to put them out of their pain, when they prefume to reveal the
determined will of the Deity to Ihorten his days, which is aliened to be
communicated in a dream; by the time that this theo-phyfical operation
is performed on a patient, they have a fcaffold prepared oppofite to the
door, whereon he is to lie till they remove the bones in the fourth moon
after, to the remote bone-houfe of that family: they immediately carry
out the corpfe, mourn over it, and place it in that dormitory, which is
ftrongly pallifadoed around, left the children fliould become polluted even
by palling under the dead. Formerly when the owner of a houfe died,
they fet fire to it, and to all the provifions of every kind j or fold
the whole at a cheap rate to the trading people, without paying the leaft
regard to the fcarcity of the times. Many of them ftill obferve the fame
rule, through a wild imitation of a ceremonial obfervance of the Ifraelites,
in burning the bed whereon a dead perfon lay, becaufe of its impurity.
Thjs is no copy from the ancient heathens, but from the Hebrews.

ARGU-

*3°

On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews..

ARGUMENT XII.

Like the Jews, the greateft part of the fouthern Indians abftain from
moft things that are either in themfelves, or in the general apprchenfion of
mankind, loathfome, or unclean-, where we find a deviation from that ge¬
neral rule among any of them, it is a corruption—either owing to their
intercourfe with Europeans, or having contra&ed an ill habit from ne-
ceffity. They generally affix very vicious ideas to the eating of impure
things ; and all their prophets, priefts, old warriors and war-chieftains, before
they enter on their religious duties, and while they are engaged in them,,
obferve the ftrifteft abftinence in this point. Formerly, if any of them did
eat in white people’s houfes, or even of what had been drefled there, while
they were fan&ifying themfelves, it was deemed a dangerous fin of pol¬
lution. When fome of them firft corrupted their primitive virtue, by drink¬
ing of our fpirituous liquors, the religious fpeftators called it ooka boome y
“ bitter watersalluding, I conjedture, to the bitter waters ofjealoufy,
that produced fwelling and death to thofe who committed adultery, but had
no power over the innocent. That this name is not accidental, but defign-
edly pointed, and expreffive of the bitter waters of God, feems obvious, not
only from the image they ftill retain of them, but likewife when any of
them refufe our invitation of drinking fpirituous liquors in company with
us, they fay Ahijk'ola Awa, Ooka Hoomtb Iijbto, “ 1 will not drink, they are
the bitter waters of the great One.” Though JJhto , one of the names of
God, fubjoined to nouns, denotes a fuperlative degree, in this cafe they de¬
viate from that general rule—and for this reafon they never affix the idea,
of bitter to the fpirituous liquors we drink among them. Hoomeb is the
only word they have to convey the meaning of bitter; as Aneb Hoomeb,
“ bitter ears,” or pepper.

They reckon all birds of prey, and birds of night, to be unclean, and
unlawful to be eaten. Not long ago, when the Indians were making their
winter’s hunt, and the old women were without flclh-meat at home, I ffiot
a fmall fat hawk, and defired one of them to take and drefs it; but though
l ftrongly importuned her by way of trial, ihe, as earneftly refufed it for

fear,

Their abftamingfrom things deemed unclean. 131

fear of contrafting pollution, which flie called the “ accurfed ftcknefs,”
fuppofing difeafe would be the necefiary effeft of fuch an impurity. Eagles
of every kind they efteem unclean food ; likewile ravens (though the
name of a tribe with them) crows, buzzards, fwallows, bats, and every
fpecies of owls: and they believe that fwallowing flies, mulketoes, or
gnats, always breeds ftcknefs, or worms, according to the quantity that
goes into them; which though it may not imply extraordinary Ikill in
phyfic, (hews their retention of the ancient law, which prohibited the
fwallowing of flies: for to this that divine farcafin alludes, “ fwallowing a
camel, and ftraining at a gnat.” Such inlefts were deemed unclean, as
well as vexatious and hurtful. The God of Ekron was Beelzebub , or
the God and ruler of flies.

None of them will eat of any animal whatfoever, if they either know,
or fufpeftthat it died of itfelf. I lately alked one of the women the
reafon of throwing a dung-hill-fowl out of doors, on the' com-houfe;
Ihe faid, that Ihe was afraid, Oophe Abeeka Hakfet Illeh, “ it died with the
diftemper of the mad dogs,” and that if (he had eaten it, it would have
affefted her in the very fame manner. I faid, if lo, Ihe did well to fave
herfelf from danger, but at the fame time, it feemed (lie had forgotten
the cats. She replied, “ that fuch impure animals would not contraft
the accurfed ficknefs, on account of any evil thing they eat; but that
the people who ate of the flefli of the fwine that fed on fuch polluting
food, would certainly become mad.”

In the year 1766, a madnefs feized the wild beads in the remote woods
of Weft-Florida, and about the fame time the domeftic dogs were attacked
with the like diftemper; the deer were equally infefted. The Indians in
their winter’s hunt, found feveral lying dead, fome in a helplefs condition,
and others fierce and mad. But though they are all fond of increafing
their number of deer-fkins, both from emulation and for profit, yet none of
them durft venture to flay them, lelt they Ihould pollute themfelves, and
thereby incur bodily evils. The head-man of the camp told me, he cautioned
one of the Hottuk Hakfe, who had refuted a long time at Savannah, from
touching filch deer, faying to him Cbcbakjinna, “ Do not become vicious
and mad,” for IJfe Hakjet lllebtahab , “ the deer were mad, and are dead
adding, that if he afted the part of Hakfe , he [would caufe both him-

132 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

ft If, and the reft of the hunting camp to be fpoiled; neverthelefs he
rtmt his ears againft his honeft fpeech, and brought thofe dangerous deer-
fkins to camp. But the people would not afterward affociate with him
and he foon paid dear for being Hakfe , by a (harp fplintered root of
a cane running almoft through his foot, near the very place where he
firft polluted himfelf; and he was afraid fome worfe ill was ftill in wait
for him.

In 1767, the Indians were ftruck with a difeafe, which they were unac¬
quainted with before. It began with (harp pains in the head, at the lower,
part of each of the ears, and fwelled the face and throat in a very extraor¬
dinary manner, and alfo the tefticles. It continued about a fortnight, and
in the like fpace of time went off gradually, without any dangerous confe-
quence, or ufe of outward or inward remedies : they called it tVohka Abeika ,
“ the cattle’s diftemper,” or ficknefs. Some of their young men had
by Health killed and eaten a few of the cattle which the traders had
brought up, and they imagined they had thus polluted themfelves, and were
fmitten in that ftrange manner, by having their heads, necks, &c. magni¬
fied like the fame parts of a fick bull. They firft concluded, either to
kill all the cattle, or fend them immediately off their land, to prevent the
like mifchief, or greater ills from befalling the beloved people—for their
cunning old phyficians or prophets would not undertake to cure them, in
order to inflame the people to execute the former refolution 5 being jea¬
lous of encroachments, and afraid the cattle would fpoil their open corn-,
fields; upon which account, the traders arguments had no weight with
thefe red Hebrew philofophers. But fortunately, one of their head warriors
had a few cattle foon prefented to him, to keep off the wolf; and his rea,
foning proved fo weighty, as to alter their, refolution,. and produce in them
a contrary belief.

They reckon all thofe animal's to .be unclean, that are either carni¬
vorous, or live on nafty food; as hogs, wolves, panthers, foxes, cats,
mice, rats. And if we except the bear, they deem all beafts of prey,
unhallowed, and polluted food; all amphibious quadrupeds they rank ia
the fame clafs. Our old traders remember when they firft began the cuftom
of eating beavers: and to this day none eat of them, except thofe who kill

them

Their abjlainingfrom things deemed unclean. 133

them; though the flefh is very wholefome, on account of the bark of trees
they live upon. It mud be acknowledged, they are all degenerating a-
pace, infomuch, that the Choktah Indians, on account of their fcantinefs
of ammunition while they traded with the French, took to eat horfe-flelh,.
and even fnakes of every kind ; though each of thefe fpecies, and every
fort of reptiles, are accounted by the other neighbouring nations, impure
food in the higheft degree. And they ridicule the Choktah for their
cannibal apoftacy, and term them in common fpeech, “ the evil, ugly,
Choktah.”

They abhor moles fo exceedingly, that they will not allow their children,
even to touch them, for fear of hurting their eye-fight; reckoning it con¬
tagious. They believe that nature is poifeft of fuch a property, as to tranf-
fufe into men and animals the qualities, either of the food they ufe, or of
thofe objedts that are prefented to their fenfes ; he who feeds on venifon,
is according to their phyflcal fyftem, fwifter and more fagacious than the man
who lives on the flelh of the clumfy bear, or helplefs dunghill fowls, the
flow-footed tame cattle, or the heavy wallowing fwine. This is the reafon.
that feveral of their old men recommend, and fay, that formerly their
greateft chieftains obferved a conftant rule in their diet, and feldom ate
of any animal of a grofs quality, or heavy motion of body, fancying ic
conveyed a dullnefs through the whole fyftem, and difabled them from ex-
exerting themfelves with proper vigour in their martial, civil, and reli¬
gious duties-

I have already Ihewn their averfion to eating of unfandtified fruits ; and irv
this argument, that they abftain from feveral other things, contrary to the
ufage of all the old heathen world. It may be objedted, that now they
ifcldom reftife to eat hogs flelh, when the traders invite them to it-, but this,
proceeds entirely from vicious imitation, and which is common with the
molt civilized nations. When fwine were firft brought among them, they,
deemed it fuch a horrid abomination in' any of their people to eat that fil¬
thy and impure food, that they excluded the criminal from all religious
communion in their circular town-houfe, or in their quadrangular holy,
ground at the annual expiation of fins, equally as if he had eaten unfandti-
Sed fruits. After the yearly atonement was made at the temple, he was
indeed re-admitted to his ufual privileges. Formerly, none of their be-

134 0 « the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

loved men, or warriors, would eat or drink with us on the mod prefling
invitation, through fear of polluting themfelves, they deemed us fuch im¬
pure animals. Our eating the flefh of fwine, and venifon, with the gravy
in it, helped to rivet their diflike, for this they reckon as blood.

I once afked the Arcbimagus, to fit down and partake of my dinner •, but
he excufed hhnfelf, faying, he had in a few days feme holy duty to per¬
form, and that if he eat evil or accurfcd food, it would fpoil him,—allud¬
ing to fwine’s flelh. Though mod of their virtue hath lately been cor¬
rupted, in this particular they dill affix vicious and contemptible ideas to
the eating of fwine’s flefh ; infomuch, that Sbukdpa , “ fwine eater,” is the
mod opprobious epithet they can ufe to brand us with: they commonly
fubjoin Akanggapa, “ eater of dunghill fowls.” Both together, fignify
“ filthy, helplefs animals.” By our furprifing mifmanagement in allowing
them a long time to infult, abufe, rob, and murder the innocent Britifh fub-
jefts at pleafure, without the lead fatisfaftion, all the Indian nations for¬
merly defpifed the Englifh, as a fwarm of tame fowls, and termed them
fo, in their fet fpeeches.

The Indians through a drong principle of religion, abdain in the
drifted manner, from eating the Blood of any animal; as it contains
the life, and fpirit of the bead, and was the very effence of the facri-
fices that were to be offered up for finners. And this was the Jewilh
opinion and law of facrifice. Lev. xvii. n. “for the life of the flelh
is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an
atonement for your fouls-, for it is the blood, which maketh an atone¬
ment for the foul.” When the Englifh [traders have been making faufages
mixt with hog’s blood, I have obferved the Indians to cad their eyes
upon them, with the horror of their reputed fore-fathers, when they
viewed the predifted abomination of defolation, fulfilled by Antiochus, in
defiling the temple.

An indance lately happened, which fufficiently Ihews their utter averfion
to blood. A Chikkefah woman, a domedic of one of the traders, being
very ill with a complication of diforders, the Indian phyfician feemed
to ufe his bed endeavours to cure her, but without the lead vifible effeft.

7 To

‘T/jeir abjlaining from blood. jjj

To preferve his medical credit with the people, he at laft afcribed her ailment
to the eating of fwine’s flelh, blood, and other polluting food : and faid,
that fuch an ugly, or accurfed ficknefs, overcame the power of all his
beloved fongs, and phyfic ; and in anger, he left his fuppofed criminal
patient to be punilhed by Loak Ifhtohoollo. I afked her fome time after¬
wards, what her ailments were, and what fhe imagined might have occa-
fioned them ? She faid, fhe was full of pain, that Ihe had Abeeka Ookproo,
M the accurfed ficknefs,” becaufe Ihe had eaten a great many fowls after the
manner of the white people, with the Iffijh Ookproo, “ accurfed blood,” in
them. In time fhe recovered, and now ftriftly abftains from tame fowls,
unlefs they are bled to death, for fear of incurring future evil, by the
like pollution.

There is not the leaft trace among their ancient traditions, of their de-
ferving the hateful name of cannibals, as our credulous writers have care¬
fully copied from each other. Their tafte is fo oppofite to that of the An-
throphagi, that they always over-drefs their meat whether roafted or
boiled.

The Mufkoghe who have been at war, time out of mind, againft the Indians
of Cape-Florida, and at length reduced them to thirty men, who removed to
the Havannah along with the Spaniards 5 affirm, they could never be in¬
formed by their captives, of the leaft inclination they ever had of eat¬
ing human flelh, only the heart of the enemy—which they all do, fym-
pathetically (blood for blood) in order to infpire them with courage ; and
yet the conftant Ioffes they fuffered, might have highly provoked them to
exceed their natural barbarity. To eat the heart of an enemy will in their
opinion, like eating other things, before mentioned, communicate and give
greater heart againft the enemy. They alfo think that the vigorous fa¬
culties of the mind ate derived from the brain, on which account, I have
feen fome of their heroes drink out of a human fkull; they imagine, they
only imbibe the good qualities it formerly contained.

When fpeaking to the Archimagur concerning the Hottentots, thofe he¬
terogeneous animals according to the Portuguefe and Dutch accounts, he
afked me,, whether they builded and planted—and what fort of food they

chiefly

136 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews .

chiefly lived upon. I told him, 1 was informed that they dwelt in fmall
natty huts, and lived chiefly on theep’s guts and crickets. He laughed,
and laid there was no credit to be given to the far-didant writers of thofe
old books, becaufe they might not have underftood the language and cuf-
toms of the people; but that thofe, whom our books reported to live on
fucli natty food, (if they did not deceive us) might have been forced to it
for the want of better, to keep them from dying; or by the like occatlon,
they might have learned that ugly cuftora, and could not quit it when they
were free from want, as the Choktah eat horfe-fleth, though they have
plenty of venifon : however, it was very eafy, he faid, to know whether they
were poffefied of human reafon, for if they were endued with fhame to have
a defire of covering their nakednefs, he concluded them to be human. He
then afked me, whether I had been informed of their having any fort of
language, or method of counting as high as the number of their fingers,
either by words or expreffive motion ; or of bearing a nearer refemblance to
Yawe the human creature, in laughter, than Sbawe the ape bore; or of
being more focial and gregarious than thofe animals of the country where
they lived. If they were endued with thofe properties, he affirmed them to
be human creatures ; and that fuch old lying books fhould not be credited.

The more religious, or the lead corrupted, of the various remote Indian
nations, will not eat of any young bead when it is newly yeaned ; and their
old men think they would fuffer damage, even by the bare conta£l: which
feems to be derived from the Mofaic law, that prohibited fuch animals to
be offered up, or eaten, till they were eight days old; becaufe, till then,
they were in an imperfedt and polluted date! They appear, however, to be
utterly ignorant of the defign and meaning of this appointment and prac¬
tice, as well as of fome ocher cufioms and inflitutions. But as the time of
circumcifing the Ifraelitifh children was founded on this law of purity, it
feems probable, that the American Aborigines obferved the law of circurn-
cifi’on, for fome xime after they arrived here, and defifted from it, when
it became incompatible with the hard daily toils and fharp exercifes,
which neceffity mud have forced them to purfue, to fupport life: efpe-
cially when we confidcr, that the fharped and mod lading affront, the
mod opprobious, indelible epithet, with which one Indian can pof-
fibly brand another, is to call him in public company, Hoobuk Wafic,
Eunuchus, praeputio detefto. They refent it fo highly, that in the year

'750,

Their rcafon for difufmg cireumcifion. 1-37

11750, when the Cheerakee were on the point of commencing a war againft
ns, feveral companies of the northern Indians, in concert with them, com¬
pelled me in the lower Cheerakee town to write to the government of South-
Carolina, that they made it their earned requelt to the Englilh not to me¬
diate in their war with the Katahba Indians, as they were fully refolved to
profecute it, with the greateft eagernefs, while there was one of that hate¬
ful name alive; becaufe in the time of battle, they had given them the ugly
name of fliort-tailed eunuchs. Now as an eunuch was a contemptible name
with the Ifraelites, and none of them could ferve in any religious office;
it Ihould feem that the Indians derived this opprobious and Angular epi:het
from Jewifh tradition, as caftration was never in ufe among the ancient
or prefent Americans.

The Ifraelites were but forty years in the wildemefs, and would not have
renewed the painful aft of cireumcifion, only that Jolhua inforced it: and
by the neceflary fatigues and difficulties, to which as already hinted, the
primitive Americans muft be expofed at their firft arrival in this wafte and
extenfive wildemefs, it is likely they forbore cireumcifion, upon the divine
principle extended to their fuppofed predecefiors in the wildemefs, of not-
accepting facrifice at the expence of mercy. This might foothe them after¬
wards wholly to rejeft it as a needlefs duty, efpecially if any of the eaftern
heathens accompanied them in their travels in queft of freedom. And as .it
is probable, that by the time they reached America, they had worn out their
knives and every other Iharp inftrument fit for the occafion ; fo had they
performed the operation with flint-ftones, or Iharp fplinters, there is no
doubt that each of the mothers would have likewife faid, “ This day, thou
art to me a bloody hufband However, from the contemptible idea the
Americans fix to caftration, &c. it feems very probable the more religious
among them ufed cireumcifion in former ages..

Under this argument, I muft obferve that Ai-u-bt fignifies “ the thigh”
of any animal, and E-eepattab Tekiiie, “ the lower part of the thigh,” or
literally, “ the hanging of the foot.” And when in the woods, the In¬
dians cut a fmall piece out of the lower part of the thighs of the deer
they kill, length-ways and pretty deep. Among the great number of
wenilbn-hams they bring to our trading houfes, I do not remember to
?■ Exod. ir.aj, j6.

T,

have.-

j 3 3 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

have obferved one without it; from which I conjecture, that as every
ancient cuftom was defigned to convey, either a typical, or literal in-
ftruCtive lefibn of feme ufeful thing •, and as no ufage of the old heathen
world refembled this cultom ; it Teems ftrongly to point at Jacob’s wreftling
with an angel, and obtaining for himfelf and his pofterity, the name, hN")0',
(perhaps, Tojher-ale) “ divine guide,” or “ one who prevails with the omni¬
potent,” and to the children of Ifrael not eating the finew of the thigh of
any animal, to perpetuate the memory of their anceftor’s finew being (hrunk,
which was to obtain the blefling.

The Indians always few their maccafenes with deer’s finews, though
of a (harp cutting quality, for they reckon them more fortunate than
the wild hemp: but to eat fuch, they imagine would breed worms, and
other ailments, in proportion to the number they eat. And I have been
allured by a gentleman of character, who is now an inhabitant of South-
Carolina, and well acquainted with the cuftoms of the northern Indians, that
they alfo cut a piece out of the thigh of every deer they kill, and
throw it away •, and reckon it fuch a dangerous pollution to eat it, as to
occafion ficknefs and other misfortunes of fundry kinds, efpecially by fpoil-
ing their guns from (hooting with proper force and direction. Now as none
of the old heathens had fuch a cultom, mult it not be confidered as of
Ilraelitifh extraction ?

ARGUMENT XIII.

The Indian Marriages, Divorces, and Punishments of adultery, (till
retain a Itrong likenefs to the Jewilh laws and cuftoms in thefe points.

The Hebrews had fponfalia de prefenti, and fponfalia de futuro : a con-
fiderable time generally intervened between their contract and marriage:
and their nuptial ceremonies were celebrated in the night. The Indians
obferve the fame cuftoms to this day; infomuch, that it is ufual for an
elderly man to take a girl, or fometimes a child to be his wife, becaule
(he is capable of receiving good impreflions in that tender (late: frequently,
a moon elapfes after the contract is made, and the value received, before

the

>39

The Jimilarity of their marriages.

the bridegroom deeps with the bride, and on the marriage day, he does
not appear before her till night introduces him, and then without tapers.

The grandeur of the Hebrews confided pretty much in the multiplicity
of their wives to attend them, as a Ihowy retinue: as the meaner fort
could' not well purchafe one, they had a light fort of marriage fuitable
to their circumftances, called by the fcholiafts, ufit capio ; “ taking the
woman for prefent ufe.” When they had lived together about a year, if
agreeable, they parted good friends by mutual confent. The Indians
alfo are fo fond of variety, that they ridicule the white people, as a tribe
of narrow-hearted, and dull conftitutioned animals, for having only one
wife at a time; and being bound to live with and fupport her, though
numberlefs circumftances might require a contrary conduft. When a
young warrior cannot drefs alamode America , he ftrikes up one of thofe
matches for a few moons, which they term Tcepfa TAwab, “ a make hafte
marriage,” becaufe it wants the ufual ceremonies, and duration of their
other kihd of marriages.

The friendlieft kind of marriage among the Hebrews, was eating bread
together. The bridegroom put a ring on the fourth finger of the bride’s
left hand before two witnefles, and faid, “ Be thou my wife, according to
the law of Mofes.” Her acceptance and filence implying confent, con¬
firmed her part of the marriage contraft, becaufe of the rigid modefty of
the eaftern women. When the fliort marriage contraft was read over, he
took a cake of bread and broke it in two, for himfelf and her ; or other-
wife, he put fome corn between their hands: which cuftoms were ufed as
ftrong emblems of the neceffity of mutual induftry and concord, to obtain
prefent and future happinefs. When an Indian makes his firft addrefs to
the young woman he intends to marry, ihe is obliged by ancient cufiom to
fit by him till he hath done eating and drinking, whether (lie likes or
diflikes him •, but afterward, (he is at her own choice whether to itay or
retire *. When the bridegroom marries the bride, after the ufual prelude,
he takes a choice ear of corn, and divides it in two before wLtnefies, gives
her one half in her hand, and keeps the other half to himfelf; or otherwife,

r Cant. iii. 4. I held him and would not let him go, until I had brought him to my
father’s houfe, and into the chambers of her that conceived me: See Gen, xxiv. 67. Such
was the cuftorn of the Hebrews.

T z he

140 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews,

lie gives her a deer’s foot, as an emblem of the readinefs with which (he
■ought to ferve him: in return, (he prefects him with fome cakes of
■bread, thereby declaring her domeftic care and gratitude in return for the
offals; for the men feaft by themfelves, and the women eat the remains.
When this (hort ceremony is ended, they may go to bed like an honeft
couple.

Formerly, this was an univerfal cuftom among the native Americans; but
this, like every other ufage of theirs, is wearing out apace. The Weft-Flori-
dans, in order to keep their women fubjeft to the law of adultery, bring
fome venilon or buffalo’s flefh to the houfe of their nominal wives, at the
end of every winter’s hunt: that is reckoned a fufficient annual tye of
their former marriages, although the hufbands do not cohabit with them.
The Mufkohge men, if newly married, are obliged by ancient cuftom, to
get their own relations to hoe out the corn-fields of each of their wives,
that their marriages may be confirmed: and the more jealous, repeat the
cuftom every year, to make their wives fubjeft to the laws againft adultery.
But the Indians in general, reckon that before the bridegroom can prefume
to any legal power over the bride, he is after the former ceremonies, or
others fomething fimilar, obliged to go into the woods to kill a deer,
bring home the carcafs of venifon, and lay it down at her houfe wrapt up in
its fkin ; and if file opens the pack, carries it into the houfe, and then drefles
and gives him fome of it to eat with cakes before witnelfes, (he becomes
his lawful wife, and obnoxious to all the penalties of an adulterefs.

The Hebrews had another fort of marriage—by purchafe : the bride*
groom gave the father of the bride as much as he thought fhe was worth :
and according to the different valuation, fo fooner or later fhe went off at
market. The only way to know the merit of a Hebrew lady, was to
enquire the value for which her father would fell her, and the lefs rapacious
he was, the fooner fhe might get an hufband. Divine writ abounds with
inftances of the like kind 5 as Gen. xxxiv. 12. “ Afk me never fo much
dowry and I will give it.” David bought Michal, and Jacob dearly pur-
chafed Rachel, &c. The women brought nothing with them, except their
clothes, rings and bracelets, and a few trinkets. When the Indians would
exprefs a proper marriage, they have a word adapted according to their
various dialefts, to give them a fuitable idea of it; but when they are

fpeaking

The fimilarity of their marriages. 141

fpeaking of their fenfual marriage bargains, they always term it, « buy¬
ing a woman for example—they fay with regard to the former, Che-Awa-
las , “ I lhall marry you,” the laft fyllable denotes the firft perfon of
the future tenfe, the former “ I lhall make you, as Avia, or Hewa was*
to IJh ,” which is confirmed by a ftrong negative fimilar expreffion, Cbe-
Awala Avia, “ I lhall not marry you.” But the name of their market
marriages, is Otoolpha, Ebo Achumbaras, Saookchda, “ In the fpring, I lhall
buy a woman, if I am alive.” Or Ebo Acbumbara Avia, “ I lhall not buy
a woman,” Salbafa toogat, “ for indeed I am poor :” the former ufage, and
method of language is exactly calculated to exprefs that Angular cuftom of
the Hebrews, per coemptionem.

They fometimes marry by deputation or proxy. The intended bride¬
groom fends fo much in value to the neareft relations of the intended bride,
as he thinks Ihe is worth : if they are accepted, it is a good fign that her
relations approve of the match, but Ihe is not bound by their contraft
alone; her confent muft likewife be obtained, but perfuafions moft com •
monly prevail with them. However, if the price is reckoned too fmall, or
the goods too few, the law obliges them to return the whole, either to him-
felf, or fome of his nearell kindred. If they love the goods, as they term
it, according to the like method of exprelfion with the Hebrews, the loving
couple may in a lliort time bed together upon trial, and continue or dif-
continue their love according, as their fancy direfts them. If they like each
other, they become an honeft married couple when the nuptial ceremony
is performed, as already defcribed. When one of their chieftains is mar¬
ried, feveral of his kinlmen help to kill deer and buffalos, to make a
rejoicing marriage feaft, to which their relations and neighbours are in¬
vited : there the young warriors fing with their two chief muficians, who
beat on their wet deer fkin tied over the mouth of a large clay-pot,
and raife their voices, finging Yo Ye, &c. When they are tired with feaft-
ing, dancing, and finging the Epithalamium, they depart with friendly
glad hearts, from the houfe of praife.

If an Ifraelite lay with a bond Woman betrothed, and not redeemed, fhe
was to be beaten, but not her fellow criminal.; for in the original text.
Lev. xix. 20. the word is in the fceminine gender. When offenders
were beaten, they were bowed down, as Deut. xxv. 2. — fo that they

neither

142 On the defctnt of the American Indians from the Jews.

■neither fat nor flood, and their whip had a large knot to it, which currr-
.manded the thongs, fo as to expand, or contrail them •, the punifhment was
always to be fuited to the nature of the crime, and the conftituticn of the
criminal. While the offenders were under the lalh, three judges flood by
to fee that they received their full and juft due. The firft repeated
the words of Deut. xxviii. 58. the fecond counted the ftripes, and the third
laid, “ Hack, or lay on.” The offender received three lathes on the
breaft, three on the belly, three on each tlioulder, &c. But adultery
was attended with capital punifhment, as Deut. xxii. 22. The parties when
legally detefled, were tried by the leffer judicatory, which was to conftft,
at leaft of twenty-three: the Sanhedrim gave the bitter waters to tliofc
women who were fufpefted of adultery. The former were ftoned to death ;
and the latter burft o;fen, according to their imprecation, if they were
guilty : the omnipotent divine wifdom imprefied thofe waters with that
wonderful quality, contrary to the common courfe of nature. The men:
married, and were divorced as often as' their caprice direfted them •, for
if they imagined their wives did not value them, according to their own
partial opinion of themfelves, they notified the occafion of the diflike, in a
fmall billet, that her virtue might not Ije fufpe&ed: and when they gave-
any of them the ticket, they ate together in a very civil manner, and thus-
dilTolved the contraft.

I have premifed this, to trace the refemblance to the marriage divorces and:
punilhments of the favage Americans. The middle aged people of a place,
which lies about half-way to Mobille, and the Illinois, allure us, that they
remember when adultery was punilhed among them with death, by (hooting
the offender with barbed arrows, as there are no ftones there. But what
with the Ioffes of their people at war with the French and their favage confede¬
rates, and the conftitutional wantonnefs of their young men and women, they
have through a political defire of continuing, or increafing their numbers,
moderated the feverity of that law, and reduced it to the prefent ftandard of
punilhment; which is in the following manner. If a married woman is
detedled in adultery by one perfon, the evidence is deemed good in judg¬
ment againft her; the evidence of a well grown boy or girl, they even,
reckon fufficient, becaufe of the heinoufnels of the crime, and the difficulty
of difeovering it in their thick forefts. This is a corruption of the
Mofaic law, which required two evidences, and exempted both women

and

Tfji nature of tbeir divorces, and puni/hments, for adultery'. 143

JCnd Daves from public faith \ becaufe of the reputed ficklenefs of the onej
and the bafe, groveling temper of the other. When the crime is proved
againft the woman, the enraged hulband accompanied by fome of hi*
relations, furprifes and beats her moft barbarouDy, and then cuts off her
hair and nofe, or one of her lips. There are many of that fort of disfigured
females among the Chikkafah, and they are commonly the bed featured,
and the moft tempting of any of their country-women, which expofed them
to the fnares of young men. But their fellow-criminals, who proba¬
bly firft tempted them, are partially exempted from any kind of corporal
punilhment.

With the Mufkohge Indians, it was formerly reckoned adultery, if a
man took a pitcher of water off a married woman’s head, and drank of it.
But their law faid, if he was a few fteps apart, and Die at his requeft
fet it down, and retired a little way off, he might then drink without ex-
pofing her to any danger. If we feriouDy refleft on the reft of their na¬
tive cuftoms, this old law, fo Angular to themfelves from the reft of the
world, gives us room to think they drew it from the Jewilh bitter waters
that were given to real, or fufpe&ed adultereffes, cither to prove their guilt,
or atteft their innocence.

Among thofe Indians, when adultery is difeovered, the offending parties
commonly fet off I'peedily for the diftant woods, to fecure themfelves from
the lhameful badge of the lharp penal law, which they inevitably get, if they
can be taken before the yearly offering for the atonement of fin •, afterward,
every crime except murder is forgiven. But they are always purfued, and
frequently overtaken •, though perhaps, three or four moons abfent, and two
hundred miles off, over hills and mountains, up and down many creeks and
rivers, on contrary courfes, and by various intricate windings—the purfuer*
are eager, and their hearts burn within them for revenge. When the huf-
band has the chilling news firft whifpered in his ear, he fteals off with his wit-
nefs to fome of -his kinfmen, to get them to aflift him in revenging his in¬
jury : they are foon joined by a fufficient number of the fame family, if the
criminal was not of the fame tribe ; otherwife, he chufes to confide in hi*
neareft relations. When the witnefs has afferted to them the truth of hi*
evidence by a ftrong affeveration, they feparate to avoid fufpicion, and
meet commonly in the duflt of the evening, near the town of the adul*

7 Kttr t

*44 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

terer, where each of them provides a fmall hoop-pole, tapering to the poinry.
with knobs half an inch long, (allowed by ancient cuftom) with which they
correft the Tinners; for as their law in this cafe doth.not allow partiality,
if they punilhed one of them, and either excnfed or let the other efcape
from juftice, like the Illinois, they would become liable to fuch punith.
ment as tliey had inflifted upon either of the parties.

They commonly begin with the adulterer, becaufe of the two, he is the
more capable of making his efcape: they, generally attack him at night,
by furprife, left he Ihould make a defperate refiftance, and blood be flied
to cry for blood. They fall on eager and mercilefs,. whooping their re¬
vengeful noife, and thrafhing their captive, with their long-knobbed hoop-
flails-, forne over his head and-face; others on his fhoulders and back.
His belly, fides, legs, and arms, are galhed all over, and at laft, he hap¬
pily feems to be infenfible of pain : then they cut off his ears *.

They obferve, however, a- gradation of punifhment, according to the-
criminality of the adultercfs. For the firft breach of the marriage faith, they
crop her ears and hair, if the hufband is fpiteful: either of thofe badges
proclaim her to be a whore, or Hakfe Kaneba, “ fuch as were evil in Ca¬
naan,” for the hair of their head is their ornament: when loofe it com¬
monly reaches below their back; and when tied, it ftands below the
crown of [the head, about four inches long, and two broad. As the

* Among thefe Indians, the trading people’s ears are often in danger, by the lharpnefs of
this law, and their fuborning falfe witnefles, or admitting foolilh children as legal evidence;
but generally eitherthe tender-hearted females or friends, give them timely notice of their dan¬
ger. Then they fall to the rum-keg, — and as foon as they find the purfuers approaching,.
they Hand to arms in a threatniog parade. Formerly, the traders like fo many Britiih tars, kept
thero.in proper awe, and confequently prevented them from attempting any mifehief. But
fioce the patenteed race of Daublers fet foot in their land, they have gradually become worfe
every year, murdering valuable innocent Britiih fubjefls at pleafurc: and when they go
down, they receive prefents as a tribute of fear, for which thefe Indians upbraid, and
threaten us. The Mulkohge lately clipt off the ears of two white men for fnppofed adultery.
One had been a difciple of Black Beard, the pirate; and the other, at the time of going un¬
der the hands of thofe Jewilh clippers, was deputed by the whimfical war-governor of
Georgia, to awe the traders into an obedience of his defpotic power. His fucceflbr
loft his life on the Chikkafah war-path, twenty miles above the Koofah, or uppermoll
weftern town of the Mulkohge, in an attempt to arteft the traders; which Ihould not by any.
means be undertaken in the Indian country.

1

offender.

Their punijhment of adultery. 145

offender cuts a comical figure among the reft of the women, by being
trimmed fo fharp, fhe always keeps her dark winter hot houfe, till by-
keeping the hair moiftened with greafe, it grows fo long as to bear tying.
Then fhe accuftoms herfelf to the light by degrees; and loon fome worthlefs
fellow, according to their ftandard, buys her for his And ; which term
hath been already explained.

The adulterer’s ears are flafhed off clofe to his head, for the firft aft of
adultery, becaufe he is the chief in fault. If the criminals repeat the
crime with any other married perfons, their nofes and upper lips are cut off.
But the third crime of the like nature, is attended with more danger for
their law fays, that for public heinous crimes, fatisfaftion (hould be made
vifible to the people, and adequate to the injuries of the virtuous,—to fet
their aggrieved hearts at eafe, and prevent others from following fuch a
dangerous crooked copy. As they will not comply with their mitigated law
of adultery, nor be terrified, nor fhamed from their ill courfe of life;
that the one may not frighten and abufe their wives, nor the other feduce
their hufbands and be a lading plague and fhame to the whole fociety, they
are ordered by their ruling magi and war-chieftains, to be fhot to death,
which is accordingly executed : but this feldom happens.

When I afked the Chikkafah the reafon of the inequality of their mar¬
riage-law, in punifhing the weaker pafiive party, and exempting the
ttronger, contrary to realbn and juftice; they told me, it had been fo a
confiderable time—becaufe their land being a continual feat of war, and the
lurking enemy for ever pelting them without, and the women decoying
them within, if they put fuch old crofs laws of marriage in force, all their
beloved brifle warriors would foon be fpoiled, and their habitations turned
to a wild wafte. It is remarkable, that the ancient Egyptians cut off the
ears and nofe of the adulterefs •, and the prophet alludes to this fort of pu-
nifhment, Ezek. xxiii. 25. “ They [hall deal furioufly with thee : they (hall
take away thy nofe and thine ears.” And they gave them alfo a thoufand
ftripes, with canes on the buttocks*. The Cheerake are an.exception to
all civilized or favage nations, in having no laws againft adultery ; they

* When human laws were firft made, they commanded that if the hulband found the adul¬
terer in the fail, he Ihould kill them both. Thus the laws of Solon and Draco ordained:
but the law of the twelve tables foftened it.

U have

146 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

have been a confiderable while under petticoat-government, and allow their
women full liberty to plant their brows with horns as oft as they pleafe,
without fear of punifhment. On this account their marriages are ill ob-
ferved, and of a Ihort continuancelike the Amazons, they divorce their
fighing bed-fellows at their pleafure, and fail not to execute their autho¬
rity, when their fancy direfts them to a more agreeable choice. However,
once in my time a number of warriors, belonging to the family of the huf-
band of the adulterefs, revenged the injury committed by her, in her own
way i for they faid, as fhe loved a great many men, inftead of a hulband,
juftice told them to gratify her longing defire—wherefore, by the infor¬
mation of their fpies, they followed her into the woods a little way from
the town, (as decency required) and then ftretched her on the ground, with
her hands tied to a flake, and her feet alfo extended, where upwards of
fifty of them lay with her, having a blanket for a covering. The Choktah
obferve the fame favage cuftom with adulterefles. They term their female
delinquents, Ahmawe IJhto the firft is a Cheerake word, fignifying, “ a
deer.” — And through contempt of the Chikkafah, they altered their penal
law of adultery.

The Mufkohge Indians, either through the view of mitigating their
law againft adultery, that it might be adapted to their patriarchal-like
government-, or by mifunderftanding the Mofaic precept, from length
of time, and uncertainty of oral tradition, oblige the adulterefs under
the penalty of the fevereft law not to be free with any man, (unlefs fhe
is inclined to favour her fellow fufferer) during the fpace of four moons,,
after the broken moon in which they fuffered for each other, according;
to the cuftom of the Maldivians. But her hufhand expofes himfelf to
the utmoft feverity of the marriage law, if he is known to hold a fami¬
liar intercourfe with her after the time of her punifhment.

ARGUMENT XIV.

Many other of the Indian Punishments, refemble thofe of the Jews,.
Whofoever attentively views the features of the Indian, and his eye, and

reflects

'The Jimilarity of their punijhments. *47

reflects on his fickle, obftinate, and cruel difpofition, will naturally think
on the Jews. Englilh America, feelingly knows the parity of the temper
of their neighbouring Indians, with that of the Hebrew nation.

The Ifraelites cut off the hands and feet of murderers, 2 Sam. iv. __

ftrangled falfe prophets—and fometimes burned, ftoned, or beheaded thofe
malefaftors who were condemned by the two courts of judgment. The
Indians either by the defeft of tradition, or through a greedy defire of re¬
venge, torture their prifoners and devoted captives, with a mixture of all
thofe Jewifh capital punilhments. They keep the original fo clofe in their
eye, as to pour cold water on the fufferers when they are fainting, or over¬
come by the fiery torture—to refrelh, and enable them to undergo longer
tortures. The Hebrews gave wine mixt with the juice of myrrh, to their
tortured criminals, to revive their (pints; and fometimes vinegar to prevent
too great an effufion of blood, left they (hould be difappointed in glut¬
ting their greedy eyes, with their favourite tragedy of blood: which
was eminently exemplified in their infulting treatment of Chrift on the
crofs.

The Indians, beyond all the reft of mankind, feem in this refpeft to be
afluated with the Jewifii fpirit. They jeer, taunt, laugh, whoop, and re¬
joice at the inexpreflible agonies of thofe unfortunate perfons, who are un¬
der their butchering hands 5 which would excite pity and horror in any
heart, but that of a Jew. When they are far from home, they keep as
near to their diftinguifhing cuftoms, as circumftances allow them : not be¬
ing able formerly to cut off the heads of thofe they killed in war, for want
of proper weapons; nor able to carry them three or four hundred miles
■without putrefaflion, they cut off the (kin of their heads with their flint-
ftone knives, as fpeaking trophies of honour, and which regifter them among
the brave by procuring them war titles. Though now they have plenty of
proper weapons, they vary not from this ancient barbarous cuftom of the
American aborigines: which has been too well known by many of our
northern colonifts, and; is yet (haniefully fo to South-Carolina and Georgia
barriers, by the hateful name of fcalping.

The Indians ftriftly adhere more than the reft of mankind to that po-
fitive, unrepealed law of Mofcs, “ He who (heddeth man’s blood, by
U 2 man

148 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

man lhall his blood be (hed-.” like the Ifraelites, their hearts burn vio*
lently day and night without intermilfion, till they died blood for blood;
They tranfmit from father to fon, the memory of the lofs of their relation
or one of their own tribe or family, though it were an old woman—if (he
■was either killed by the enemy, or by any of their own people. If indeed
the murder be committed by a kinfman, the elded can redeem : however,
if the circumftances attending the fad be peculiar and (hocking to nature,
the murderer is condemned to die the death of a finner, “ without any one
to mourn for him,” as in the cafe of filicide j contrary to their ufage
toward the reft of their dead, and which may properly be called the death or
burial of a Jewilh afs.

When they have had fuccefs in killing the enemy, they tie fire-brands
in the moft frequented places, with grape vines which hang pretty low, in
order that they may be readily feen by the enemy. As they reckon the
aggreflors have loudly declared war, it would be madnefs or treachery in
their opinion to ufe fuch public formalities before they have revenged cry¬
ing blood s it would inform the enemy of their defign of retaliating, and
deftroy the honeft intention of war. They likewife ftrip the bark off leveral
large trees in confpicuous places, and paint them with red and black hiero¬
glyphics, thereby threatening the enemy with more blood and death. The
laft were ftrong and fimilar emblems with the Hebrews, and the firft is ana¬
logous to one of their martial cuftoms; for when they arrived at the
enemies territories, they threw a fire-brand within their land, as an emblem
of the anger of AJh, ‘‘the holy fire” for their ill deeds to his peculiarly be¬
loved people. To which cuftom Obadiah alludes, when he fays, (ver. 18.)
“ they (ball kindle in them and devour them, there (hall not be any re¬
maining of the houfe of Efau, &c.” which the Septuagint mandates, “ one
who carries a fire-brand.” The conduft of the Ifraelitifh champion, Samp-
Ion, againft the Philiftines, proceeded from the fame war cuftom,. when he
took three-hundred Shugnalim , (which is a bold ftrong metaphor) fignify-
ing Vulpes, foxes or (heaves of corn; and tying them tail to tail, or one end
to the other in a continued train, he fet fire to them, and by that means,
burned down their (landing corn.

In the late Cheerake war, at the earned perfuafions of the trading people, fe¬
deral of the Mufkohge warriors came down to the barrier-fettlements of Geor¬
gia.

»49

The ftmtforiiy of their punijhmentt.

gw, te go againft the Cheerake, and revenge Englilh crying blood : bus
the main body of the nation fent a running embaffy to the merchants there,
requefting them immediately to forbear their unfriendly proceedings, other-
wife, they (hould be forced by difagreeable neceflity to revenge their rela¬
tions blood if it (houkl chance to be fpilt contrary, to their ancient laws t
this alludes to the levitical law, by which he who decoyed another to his
end, was deemed the occafion of his death, and confequently anfwerabla
for it. If an unruly horfe belonging to a white man, (hould chance to be
tied at a trading houl'e and kill one of the Indians, either the owner of the
houfe, or the perfon who tied the bead there, is refponfible for it, by their
lex talionis; which feems to be derived alfo from the Mofaic precept,—if an
ox known by its owner to pufh with its horn, (hould kill a perfon, they were
both to die the death. If the Indians have a diflike to a perfon, who by
any cafualty was the death of one of their people, he (lands accountable,
and will certainly fuffer for it, unlefs he takes fanfluary.

I knew an under trader, who being intruded by his employer with a
cargo of goods for the country of the Mulkohge, was forced by the common
law of good faith, to oppofe fome of thofe favages in the remote woods, to
prevent their robbing the camp: the chieftain being much intoxicated with
fpirituons liquors, and becoming outrageous in proportion to the refiftance he
met with, the trader like a brave man, oppofed lawlefs force by force : fome
time after; the lawlefs bacchanal was attacked with a pleurify, of which he
died. Then the heads of the family of the deceafed convened the Idler judi¬
catory, and condemned the trader to be (hot to death for the fuppofed
murder of their kinfman; which they eafily edefied, as he was off his
guard, and knew nothing of their murdering defign. His employer how¬
ever had fuch a friendly intercourfe with them, as to gain timely notice
of any thing that might affefl his perfon or intereft; but he was fo fac
from a (Tiding the unfortunate brave man, as the laws of humanity and com¬
mon honour obliged him, that as a confederate, he not only concealed thek
bloody intentions, but went bafely to the next town, while the favages
painted themfelves red and black, and give them an opportunity of perpe¬
trating the horrid murder. The poor viftim could have eafily efcaped to
the Englith fettlements if forewarned, and got the affair accommodated by the
mediation of the government. In adts of blood, if the fuppofed mur¬
derer

150 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

derer efcapes, his neareft kinfman cither real or adopted, or if he has none
there, his friend ftands according to their rigorous law, anfwerable for the
fa£t. But though the then governor of South Carolina was fufficiently in¬
formed of this tragedy, and that it was done contrary to the treaty of
amity, and that there is no pofiibility of managing them, but by their
own notions of virtue, he was paflive, and allowed them with impunity to
Ihed this innocent bloods which they ever fince have improved to our
fhame and forrow. They have gradually become worfe every year s and
corrupted other nations by their contagious copy, fo as to draw them into
the like bloody fcenes, with the fame contempt, as if they had killed fo
many helplefs timorous dunghill fowls, as they defpitefully term us.

There never was any fet of people, who purfued the Mofaic law of
retaliation with fuch a fixt eagernefs as thefe Americans. They are fo deter¬
mined in this point, that formerly a little boy (hooting birds in the high and
thick corn-fields, unfortunately chanced (lightly to wound another with
his childifh arrow; the young vindictive fox, was excited by cuftom to
watch his ways with the utmoft earneftnefs, till the wound was returned
in as equal a manner as could be expe&ed. Then, “ all was ftraight,”
according to their phrafe. Their hearts were at reft, by having executed
that ftrong law of nature, and they fported together as before. This
obfervation though fmall in itfelf, is great in its combined circumftances,
as it is contrary to the ufagc of the old heathen world. They forgive all
crimes at the annual atonement of fins, except murder, which is always
punifhed with death. The Indians conftantly upbraid us in their baccha¬
nals, for inattention to this maxim of theirs ; they fay, that all nations of
people who are not utterly funk in cowardice, take revenge of blood before
they can have reft, coft what it will. The Indian Americans are more
eager to revenge blood, than any other people on the whole face of the
earth. And when the heart of the revenger of blood in Ifrael was hot
within him, it was a terrible thing for the cafual manflayer to meet him,
Deut. xix. 6. “ Left the avenger of blood purfue the (layer while his heart
is hot, and overtake him, becaufe the way is long, and flay him ; whereas
he was not worthy of death, inafmuch as he hated him not in time paft.”

I have known the Indians to go a thoufand miles, for the purpofe of
revenge, in pathlefs woods 5 over hills and mountains s through large cane
3 fwamps,

The law of retaliation. 151

fwamps, full of grape-vines and briars; over broad lakes, rapid rivers, and
deep creeks •, and all the way endangered by poifonous fnakes, if not with
the rambling and lurking enemy, while at the fame time they were expofed
to the extremities of heat and cold, the vicifTitude of the feafons; to
hunger and thirft, both by chance, and their religious fcanty method of liv¬
ing when at war, to fatigues, and other difficulties. Such is their over¬
boiling revengeful temper, that they utterly contemn all thofe things
as imaginary trifles, if they are fo happy as to get the fcalp of the murderer,
or enemy, to fatisfy the fuppofed craving ghofts of their deceafed rela¬
tions. Though they imagine the report of guns will fend off 1 the ghofts of
their kindred that died at home, to their quiet place, yet they firmly
believe, that the fpirits of thofe who are killed by the enemy, without
equal revenge of blood, find no reft, and at night haunt the houfes of the
tribe to which they belonged*: but, when that kindred duty of retaliation
is juftly executed, they immediately get eafe and power to fly away : This
opinion, and their method of burying and mourning for the dead, of which
we (hall ipeak prefently, occafion them to retaliate in fo earneft and fierce
a manner. It is natural for friends to ftudy each others mutual happinefs,
and we fhould pity the weaknefs of thofe who are deftitute of our ad¬
vantages ; whofe intellectual powers are unimproved, and who are utterly
unacquainted with the feiences, as well as every kind of mechanical bufinefs,
to engage their attention at home. Such perfons cannot well live with¬
out war •, and being deftitute of public faith to fecure the lives of em-
bafladors in time of war, they have no fure method to reconcile their dif¬
ferences : confequently, when any cafual thing draws them into a war, it
grows every year more fpiteful till it advances to a bitter enmity, fo as to
excite them to an implacable hatred to one another’s very national names.
Then they muft go abroad to fpill the enemy’s blood, and to revenge crying
blood. We muft alfo confider, it is by fcalps they get all their war-titles,
which diftinguilh them among the brave : and thefe they hold in as high
efteem, as the moft ambitious Roman general ever did a great triumph.
By how much the deeper any fociety of people are funk in ignorance, fo
much the more they value themfelves on their bloody merit. This was

* As the Hebrews fuppofed there was a holinefs in Canaan/more than in any other land,
fo they believed that their bodies buried out of it, would be carried through caverns, or fub-
terraneous paffages of the earth to the holy land, where they lhall rife again and dart up to
their holy atttafling centre.

long

152 On -the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

lang the characleriftic of the Hebrew nation, and has been conveyed down
to thefe their fuppofed red defendants.

However, notwithftanding their bloody temper and conduft towards ene¬
mies, when their law of blood does not interfere, they obferve that Mofaic
precept, “ He {hall be dealt' with according as he intended to do to his
neighbour, but the innocent and righteous man thou (halt not flay.” I
muft obferve alto that as the Jewilh priefts were by no means to (lied hu¬
man blood, and as king David was forbidden by the prophet to build a
temple becaufe he was a man of war and had flitd blood — fo, the Indian
ljhtohoollo “ holy men” are by their fumftion abfolutely forbidden to flay;
notwithftanding their propenfity thereto, even for fmall injuries. They
will not allow the greateft warrior to officiate, when the yearly grand facri-
fice of expiation is offered up, or on any other religious occafion, except the
leader. All muft be performed by their beloved men, who are clean of
every ftain of blood, and have their foreheads circled with ftreaks of white
clay.

As this branch of the general fubjedt cannot be illuftrated, but by
well-known fadts, I (hall exemplify it with the late and long-continued
condudt of the nothern Indians, and thofe of Cape Florida, whom our navi¬
gators have reported to be cannibals. The Muskohge, who have been bit¬
ter enemies to the Cape Florida Indians, time immemorial, affirm their
manners, tempers and appetites, to be the very fame as thofe of the
neighbouring Indian nations. And the Florida captives who were fold in
Carolina, have told me, that the Spaniards of St. Auguftine and St. Mark’s
garrifons, not only hired and paid them for murdering our ieamen, who
were fo unfortunate as to be fliipwrecked on their dangerous coaft; but
that they delivered up to the lavages thofe of our people they did not
like, to be put to the fiery torture. From their bigotted perfecuting fpirit,
we may conclude the vidtims to have been thofe who would not worfliip
their images and crucifixes. The Spaniards no doubt could eafily in¬
fluence this decayed fmall tribe to fuch a pradtice, as they depended upon
them for the necefiaries of life: and though they could never fettle out
of their garrifons in Weft-Florida, on account of the jealous temper of the
neighbouring unconquered Indians, yet the Cape-Floridans were only
Spanifti mercenaries, (hedding blood for their maintenance. A feduced In-
7 .dian

’Their Uvu> of retaliation

dian is certainly lcfs faulty than the apoftate Chriftian who inftigated him:
when an Indian Iheds human blood, it does not proceed from wantonncfs,
or the view of doing evil, but folely to put the law of retaliation in force,
to return one injury for another; but, if he has received no ill, and has
no fufpicion of the kind, he ufually offers no damage to thofe who fall
in his power, but is moved with companion, in proportion to what they
fiem to have undergone. Such as they devote to the fire, they flatter
with the hope of being redeemed, as long 'as they can, to prevent the
giving them any previous anxiety or grief, which their law of blood does
not require.

The French Canadians are highly cenfurable, and their bloody popifh
clergy, for debauching our peaceable northern Indians, with their infernal
catechifm ,—the firfl introduction into their religious myfteries. Formerly,
when they initiated the Indian fucklings into their mixt idolatrous worfhip,
they fattened round their necks, a bunch of their favourite red and black
beads, with a filver crofs hanging down on their breafts, thus engaging
them, as they taught, to fight the battles of God. Then they infected
tlie credulous Indians with a firm belief, that God once fent his own be¬
loved fon to fix the red people in high places of power, over the reft
of mankind ■, that he palfed through various countries, to the univerfal
joy of the inhabitants, in order to come to the beloved red people, and
place them in a fuperior ftation of life to the reft of the American
world ■, but when he was on the point of failing to America, to execute his
divine embaffy, he was murdered by .the bloody monopolizing Englifh, at
die city of London, only to make the red people weigh light. Having
thus inftruCted, and given them the .catechifm by way of queftion and
anfwer, and furnifhed them with 2000 grofs of fcalping knives and other
murdering articles, the catechumens foon fallied forth, and painted them-
felves all over with the innocent blood of our fcllow-fubjeCts, of different
Rations, and ages, and without any diftinCtion of fex,—contrary to the
(landing Indian laws of blood.

The Britifh lion at laft ’however triumphed, and forced the French them-
felves to fue for that friendly intercourfe and protection, which their for¬
mer catechifm taught the Indians to hate, and fly from, as dangerous to
their univerfal happinefs.

When

154 0 » the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews,

When I have reafoned with fome o£ the' old headmen, againft their bar¬
barous cuftom of killing defencelcfs innocent perfons, who neither could
nor would oppofe them in battle, but begged that they might only live to-
be their Haves, they told me that formerly they never waged war, but
in revenge of blood •, and that in fuch cafes, they always devoted the guilty
to be burnt alive when they were purifying themfelves at home, to obtain
victory over their enemies. But otherwife they treated the vanquilhed with
the greateft clemency, and adopted them in the room ot their relations,
who had either died a- natural death. or had before been fufficiently revenged,,
though killed by the enemy.

The Ifraelites thus often devoted their captives to death, without any di-
ftinclion of age or fex,—as when they took Jericho, they faved only merciful:
Rahab and her family;—after they had plundered the Midianites of their,
riches, they put men women and children to death, dividing among them—
felves a few virgins and the plunder —with other inftances that might be
quoted. The Indian Americans, beyond all the prefcnt race of Adam,
are a&uated by this bloody war-cuftom of the Ifraelites •, they put their,
captives to various lingering torments, with the fame unconcern as the
Levite,- when he cut up his beloved concubine into eleven portions,, andi
fent them to the eleven tribes, to excite them to revenge the affront, the
Benjamites had given him. When equal blood has not been lhed to quench;
the crying blood of their relations, and.give reft to their ghofts, according,
to their credenda, while they are fanftifying themfelves- for war, they
always allot their captives either to be killed or put to the fiery torture:
and they who are thus devoted,, cannot by any means be faved, thought
they refembled an angel in beauty and virtue..

Formerly, the Indians defeated a great body of the French, who at'
two different times came to invade their country. They put to the fiery
torture ar confiderable number of them; and two in particular, whom
they imagined to have carried the French ark againft them. The Englilh.
. traders folicited with the moft earned entreaties, in favour of the unfor¬
tunate captives; but they averred, that as it was not our. bufinefs to
intercede in behalf of a deceitful enemy who came to lhed blood, unlefs
we were refolved to lhare their deferved fate, fo was it entirely out
of the reach of goods, though piled as high as the Ikies, to redeem them,—
T becaufe

Their law of retaliation. 155

becaufe they were not only the chief fupport of the French army, in fpoil-
ing fo many of their warriors by the power of their ugly ark, before they
conquered them; but were delivered over to the fire, before they entered
into battle.

When I was on my way to the Chikkafah, at the Okchai, in the year
1745, the condudt of the Mufkbhge Indians was exaftly the fame with
regard to a Cheerake (tripling, whofe father was a wiiite man, and mother
an half-breed,—regardlefs of the preffing entreaties and very high offers of
the Englilh traders, they burned him in their ufual manner. This feems
to be copied from that law which exprefly forbad the redeeming any de¬
voted perfons, and ordered that they (hould be furely put to death.
Lev. xxvii. 29. This precept had evidently a reference to the law of
retaliation.—Saul in a fuperftitious and angry mood, wanted to have mur¬
dered or facrificed to God his favourite fon Jonathan, becaufe when he was
fainting he tafted feme honey which cafually fell in his way, juft after he
had performed a prodigy of martial feats in behalf of Ifrael: but the gra¬
titude, and reafoh of the people, prevented him from perpetrating that
horrid murder.' ff devoting to death was of divine extraftion, or if God
delighted in human facrifices, the people would have been criminal for
daring to oppofe the divine law,—which was not the cafe. Such a law if
taken in an extenfive and literal fenfe, is contrary to all natural reafon and
religion, and confequently in a drift fenfe, could not be enjoined by a be¬
nevolent and merciful God; who commands us to dojuftice and (hew
mercy to the very beads; not to muzzle the ox while he is treading out
the grain; nor to infnare the bird when performing her parental offices.
“ Are ye not of more value than many fparrows ?”

The Indians ufe no dated ceremony in immolating their devoted captives,
although it is the fame thing to the unfortunate viftims, what form rheir
butcherers ufe. They are generally facrificed before their conquerors fet
off for war with their ark and fuppofed holy things. And fometimes the
Indians, devote every one they meet in certain woods or paths, to be killed
there, except their own people; this occafioned the cowardly Cheerake in
the year 1753, to kill two white men on the Chikkafah war-path, which*
leads from the country of the Mulkohgc. And the Shawinoh Indians who
X 2 fettled

i *6 On the defcent of the American Indians from the few.

fettled between the Ooe-Afa and Koofah-towns, told us, that their people to>
the northward had devoted the Englilh to death for the fpace of fix years j.
but when that time was expired and. got before, they would live in Iriend-
fhip as formerly. If the Englilh had at that time executed their own-
law againft them, and demanded equal blood from the Cheerake, and
ftopt all trade with them before they dipt themfelves too deep in blood,
they would foon have had a firm peace with all the Indian nations. This
is the only way of treating them now, for when they have qot the fear
of offending, they will filed innocent blood, and proceed in die end .
to day all reftraint afide.

The late conduit of the Chikkafah war-council, in condemning two.pre¬
tended friends to death, who came with a view of lhedding blood; lhews.
their knowledge of that equal law of divine appointment to the Jews, “ he
fliall be dealt with exactly as he intended to. do to his neighbour.”

It ought to be remarked, that they are careful of their youth, and.
fail not to punilh them when they tranfgrefs. Anno 1766, I faw an old.
head man, called the Dog-King, (from the nature of his office). corredh
feveral young perfons — fome for fuppofed faults, and others by way of.
prevention. He began with a lufty young fellow, who was charged with,
being more effeminate than became a warrior; and with ailing contrary,
to their old religious rites and cuftoms, particularly, becaufe he lived,
nearer than any of the reft to an opulent and helplefs German, by whom,
they fuppofed. he might have been corrupted. He baftinadoed the young,
finner feverely, with a thick whip, about a foot and a half long, compofed.
of plaited filk grafs, and the fibres of the button fnake-root. (talks,. tapering,
to the point, which was fectired with a knot. He reafoned with him, as he
correited him : he told him that he was Cbehakft Kaneha-He , literally, “ you
are as one who is wicked, and alrnoft loft*.” The grey-hair’d correitor.
faid, he treated him in that manner according to ancient cuftom, through,
an effeft of love, to induce him to Ihun vice, and to imitate the virtues of.

* As Cbin-Kantbab' fignifies. *‘you have loft,” and Cbe-Kanebah, “you are loft,” it
feems to point at the method the Hebrews ufed in correfting their criminals in Canaan, and
to imply a fimilarity of manners. The word they ufe to exprefs “ forgetfulnefs,” looks the-
very fame way, JJh Al Kantbab, •• you forget,” meaning that IJh and Canaan are forgotten.

his

Vheir correct ion of children‘and youth. i ej<

His illuftrious fore-fathers, which he endeavoured to enumerate largely:
when the young finner had received his fuppofed due, he went off feem-
ingly well pleafed.

This Indian correftion leffens gradually in its feverity, according to the
age of the pupils. While the Dog-King was catechifing the little ones,
he faid Che Hakfmna , “ do not become vicious.’* And when they wept,,
he faid Chc-Abela Awa, “ I (hall not kill you,” or “ Ilhall not put you into,
the ftate of bleeding AMU *.”

Like the prefent Jews, their old men are tenacious of their ancient rites*
and cuftomsj imagining them to be the fure channel through which all
temporal good things flow to them, and by which the oppofite evils, are
averted. No wonder therefore, that they ftill retain a multiplicity of He¬
brew words, which were repeated often with great reverence in the temple
and adhere to many of their ancient rules and methods of punifhtnent.

* The Indians ufe the word Hat ft, to convey the idea of aperfon’s being criminal in any
thing whatfoever. If they mention not the particular crime, they add, Hakjtt Kanekab,
pointing as it were to thofe who were punilhed in Canaan. Such unfortunate perfons as
are mad, deaf, dumb' or blind, are called by no other name than Hakfe. In like manner
Kallakfe fignifies “ contemptible, unftcady, light, or eafily thrown afide,”—it is a diminu¬
tive of VVp, of the fame meaning. And they fay fuch an one is Kallaks'-IJbto, “ execrated,,
or accurfed to God,” becaofe found light.in the divine balance. As the American Abori¬
gines ufed no weights, the parity of language here with the Hebrew, feems to alfure us,,
they originally derived this method of expreffion from the Ifraclites, who took the fame idea
from the poife of a balance, which divine writ frequently mentions. Job, chap. xxxi,-.
defcribes juftice with a pair of fcales, •« Let me be weighed in an even balance, that I
may know my petfeflion.” And they call weighing, or giving a preference, Ickult, accord¬
ing to the fame figure of Ipeech : and it agrees both in expreffion and meaning, with the-
Chaldean Tekel, if written with Hebrew characters, as. in that extraordinary appearance on the
wall of the Babylonifli monarch, interpreted by the prophet Daniel. When they prefer one
perfon and would leflen another, they fay Eespa Wihke Tekaie, “ this one weighs heavy,"
and Eeako Kallakfe, or KalPaks'aejbt If kbit, “ that one weighs light, very light.” When-
any of their people are killed on any of the hunting paths, they frequ ently fay, Hanna tungga
Ttumip Tekale, “ right on.the path, he was weighed for the enemy, or the oppofite party,”
for Tannip is the only word they have to exprefs the words many and the oppofite-, as Ook'heemta
Tamtip, “the oppofite fide of the water path:” hence it is probable, they borrowed that
notable Afiyrian expreffion while in-their fuppofed captivity, brought it with them to Ame¬
rica, and introduced it into their language, to commemorate fo furprifing an event.

ARGir-

t j8 On the defcent of the American Indians from tbe Jews.

ARGUMENT XV.

The Ifraelites had Cities of Refuge, or places of fafety, for thofe who
killed a perfon unawares, and without defign; to Ihelter them from the
blood-thirfty relations of the deceafed, or the revenger of blood, who
always purfued or watched the unfortunate perfon, like a ravenous wolf:
but after the death of the high-pried the man-flayer could fafely return,
home, and nobody durfl moled him.

According to the fame particular divine law of mercy, each of thefe
Indian nations have either a houfe or town of refuge, which is a fure
afylum to protefl a man-flayer, or the unfortunate captive, if they can
once enter into it. The Cheerake, though now exceedingly corrupt,
•dill obferve that law fo inviolably, as to allow their beloved town the
privilege of protefting a wilful murtherer : but they feldom allow him to
return home afterwards in fafety—they will revenge blood for blood,
oinlefs in fome very particular cafe when the elded can redeem. However,
if he fhould accept of the price of blood to wipe away its Aains, and dry
up the tears of the red of the neared kindred of the deoealed, it is gene¬
rally produflive of future ills ; either when they are drinking fpirituous
liquors, or dancing their enrhufiaflic war dances, a tomohawk is likely
to be funk into the head of fome of his relations.

Formerly, when one of the Cheerake murdered an Englifh trader he
immediately ran off for the town of refuge; but as foon as he got in view
of it, the inhabitants difeovered him by the clofe purfuit of the fhrill war-
whoo-whoop; and for fear of irritating the Englilb, they indatitly anfwered
the war cry, ran to arms, intercepted, and drove him off into Tennafe river
(where he efcaped, though mortally wounded) led he fhould have entered
.the reputed holy ground, and thus it had been dained with-the blood of
their friend j or he had obtained fanfluary to the danger of the community,
and the foreign contempt of their facred altars.

Ti/eir cities of refuge. 159

This town o£ refuge called Choate, is fituated on a large ftream of the
Mifiifippi, five miles above the late unfortunate Fort-Loudon ,—where fome
years ago,, a brave Englilhman was protected after killing an Indian war¬
rior in defence of his property. The gentleman told me, that as his trading
houfe was near to that town of refuge, he had refolved with himfelf, after
fome months ftay in it, to return home; but the head-men allured him,
shat though he was then fafe, it would prove fatal if he removed thence;
fo he continued in his afylum ftill longer, till the affair was by time more
obliterated, and he had wiped off all their tears with various prefents. In
the upper or molt weftern part of the country of the Mulkohge, there was
an old beloved town, now reduced to a ftnall ruinous village, called Koofah ,
which is ftill a place of fafety for thofe who kill undefignedly. It ftands
on commanding ground, over-looking a bold river, which after running
about forty leagues, fweeps clofe by the late mifchievous French garrifon
Alebdmah, and down to Molilk-Sound, 200 leagues diftance, and fo into
the gulph of Florida.

In almoft every Indian nation, there are feveral peaceable towns, which
are called “ old-beloved,” “ ancient, holy, or white towns * they feem
to have been formerly “ towns of refuge,” for it is not in the memory of
their oldeft people, that ever human blood was Died in them •, although they
often force perfons from thence, and put them to death elfewhere.

ARGUMENT XVI;

Before the Indians go to War, they have many preparatory ceremonies'
of purification and fafting , like what is recorded of the Ifraelites.

In the firfr commencement of a war, a party of the injured tribe turns-
out firft, to revenge the innocent crying blood of their own bone and flelb,.
as they term it. When the leader begins to beat up for volunteers, he
goes three times round his dark winter-houfe, contrary to the courfe of the
fun, founding the war-whoop, finging the war-fong,. and beating the drum.

•Whits is their fixt emblem of peace, friendlhip, happinefs, profperity, purity, holi-
oefs, Si c. as with the Ifraelites.

The&i

.i-6o On the defcent <f the American Indians from the Jews.

Then he fpeaks to the liftening crowd with very rapid language, fhort
•paufes, and an awful commanding voice, tells them of the continued friendly
offices they have done the enemy, but which have been ungratefully re¬
turned with the blood of his kinfmen; therefore as the white paths have
changed their beloved colour, his heart burns within him with eagernefs to
tinfture them all along, and even to make them flow over with the hateful
blood of the bafe contemptible enemy. Then he ftrongly perfuades his
kindred warriors and others, who are not afraid of the enemies bullets and
arrows, to come and join him with manly cheerful hearts .-, he allures them,
he is fully convinced, as they are all bound by the love-knot, fo they are
ready to hazard their lives to revenge the blood of their kindred and coun¬
try-men ; that the love of order, and the neceffity of complying with the
old religious cuftoms of their country, had hitherto checked their daring
generous hearts, but now, thofe hindrances are removed: he proceeds
to whoop again for the warriors to come and join him, and fanftify
themfelves for fuccefs againd the common enemy, according to their
.ancient religious law.

By his eloquence, but chiefly by their own greedy third of revenge,
and intenfe love of martial glory, on which they conceive their liberty
and happinefs depend, and which they conflantly inflil into the minds-
of their youth — a number foon join .him in his winter-houfe, where
they live feparate from all others, and purify themfelves for the fpace
of three days and nights, exclufive of the firfl broken day. In each of
thofe days they obferve a drift fad till fun-fet, watching the young men
-very narrowly who have -not been initiated in war-titles, led unufual hun¬
ger ffiould tempt them to violate it, to the fuppofed danger of all their
lives in war, by dedroying the power of their purifying beloved phyfic,
which they drink plentifully during that time. This purifying phyfic,
is warm water highly imbittered with button-rattlc-fnake-root, which as
hath been before obferved, they apply only to religious purpofes. Some¬
times after bathing they drink a decoftian made of the faid root—and in
like manner the leader applies afperfions, or fprinklings, both at home and
when out at war. They are fuch drift obfervers of the law of purification,
and think it fo eflential in obtaining health and fuccels in war, as not to
allow the bed beloved trader that ever lived among them, even to enter
.the beloved ground, appropriated to the religious duty of being ibnfti-
7 fied

’Their preparatory ceremonies for war. lfrt

Eed for war; much lefs to aflociate with the camp in the woods, though
he went (as I have known it to happen) on the fame war defign •,—they
oblige him to walk and encamp feparate by himfelf, as an impure danger¬
ous animal, till the leader hath purified him, according to their ufual time
and method, with the confecrated things of the ark. With the Hebrews,
the ark of Beritb, “ the purifier,” was a fmall wooden cheft, of three feet
.nine inches in length, two feet three inches broad, and two feet three inches
in height. It contained the golden pot that had manna in it, Aaron’s rod,
and the tables of the law. The Indian Ark is of a very Ample conltruc-
•tion, and it is only the intention and application of it, that makes it wor¬
thy of notice j for k is made with pieces of wood fecurely fattened to-
gether in the form of a fquare. The middle of three of the fides extend
a little out, but one fide is flat, for the conveniency of the perfon’s back
who carries it. Their ark has a cover, and the whole is made impenetrably
clofe with hiccory-fplinters; it is about half the dimenfions of the diving
Jewifli ark, and may very properly be called the red Hebrew ark of the
purifier, imitated. The leader, and a beloved waiter, carry it by turns. It
contains feveral confecrated .veflels, made by beloved fuperannuated wo¬
men, and of fuch various antiquated forms, as would have puzzled Adam
to have given Dgnificant names to each. The leader and his attendant,
are purified longer than the reft of the company, that the firtt may be fit
to aft in the religious office of a prieft of war, and the other to carry the
awful facred ark. All the while they are at war, the Hetiffu , or “ beloved
waiter,” feeds each of the warriors by an exaft ftated rule, giving them
even the water they drink, out of his own hands, left by intemperance they
Should fpoil the fuppoled communicative power -of their holy things, and
occafion fatal dilatters to the war camp.

The ark, mercy-feat, and cherubim, were the very eflence of the levi-
tical law, and often called “ the teftimonies of Tobcwab.” The ark of
the temple was termed his throne, and David calls it his foot-ftool. In
fpeaking of the Indian places of refuge for the unfortunate, I obferved,
that if a captive taken by the reputed power of the beloved things of
the ark, fliould be able to make his efcape into one of thefe towns,—or
even into the winter-houfe of the Archi-magus, he is delivered from the
fiery torture, otherwife inevitable. This when joined to the reft of the
faint images of the Mofaic cuftoms they ftill retain, feems to point at
the mercy-feat in the fanftuary. It is alfo highly worthy of notice, that they
Y never

162 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

never place the ark on the ground, nor fit on the bare e3rth while they
are carrying it againft the enemy. On hilly ground where ftones are
plenty, they place it on them : but in level land upon fhort logs, always
refting themfelves on the like materials. Formerly, when this traft was the
Indian Flanders of America, as the French and all their red Canadian con¬
federates were bitter enemies to the inhabitants, we often faw the woods full
of fuch religious war-reliques. The former is a ftrong imitation of the
pedeftal, on which the Jewifh ark was placed, a ftone rifing three fingers
breadth above the floor. And when we confider—in what a furprifing
manner the Indians copy after the ceremonial law of the Hebrews, and
their ftrifl purity in their war camps; that Of at, “the leader,” obliges
all during the firft campaign they make with the beloved ark, to (land, every
day they lie by, from fun-rife to fun-fet—and after a fatiguing day’s march,
and fcanty allowance, to drink warm water imbittered with rattle-fnake-root
very plentifully, in order to be purified—that they have alfo as ftrong a
faith of the power and holinefs of their ark, as ever the Ifraelites retained
of their’s, afcribing the fuperior fuccefs of the party, to their drifter
adherence to the law than the other-, and after they return home, hang-,
it on the leader’s red-painted war pole—we have ftrong reafon to conclude
their origin is Hebrew. From the Jewifh ark of the tabernacle and the tem¬
ple, the ancient heathens derived their arks, their cifta or religious chefts,.
their Teraphim or Dii Lares, and their tabernacles and temples. But their
modes and objedts of worfhip, differed very widely from thofe of the Ame¬
ricans.

The Indian ark is deemed fo facred and dangerous to be touched, either
by their own fanftified warriors, or the (polling enemy, that they durft not
touch it upon any account *. It is not to be meddled with by any, except
the war chieftain and his waiter, under the penalty of incurring great evik

Nor

• A gentleman who was at the Ohio, in the year 1756, allured me he faw a Hunger there
very importunate to view the infide of the Cheerake ark, which was covered with a drefi deer-
Ikin, and placed on a couple of Ihort blocks. An Indian centinel watched it, armed with a.
hiccory bow, and brafs-pointed ba ted arrows, and he was faithful to his trull; for finding
the Hunger obtruding to pollute the fuppofed facred vehicle, he drew an arrow to the head,
and would have (hot him through the body, had he not fuddenly withdrawn ; the interpreter,
when a Iked by the gentleman what it contained, told him there was nothing in it but a bun¬
dle of conjuring tups. This (hews what conjurers our common interpreters are, and how
much the learned world have really profited by their informations. The Indians have an old

tradition.

Their abfiinence from women during war. 163

Nor would the moft inveterate enemy touch it in the woods for the very
fame reafon j which is agreeable to the religious opinion and cuftoms of the
Hebrews, refpefling the facrednefs of their ark, witnefs what befel Uzzah,
for touching it, though with a religious view, and the Philiftines for carry¬
ing it away, fo that they foon thought proper to return it, with prefents.

The leader virtually ads the part of a prieft of war, pro tempore, in imi¬
tation of the Ifraelites fighting under the divine military banner. If they
obtain the vidory, and get fome of the enemies fcalps, they fandify themfelves
when they make their triumphal entrance, in the manner they obferved
before they fet off to war; but, if their expedition proves unfortunate,
they only mourn over their lofs, afcribing it to the vicious condud of
fome of the followers of the beloved ark. What blulbes lliould this fa-
vage virtue raife in the faces of nominal chriftians, who ridicule the un¬
erring divine wifdom, for the effeds of their own imprudent or vicious
condud. May they learn from the rude uncivilized Americans, that vice
necefiarily brings evil—and virtue, happinefs.

The Indians will not cohabit with women while they are out at war;
they religioufly abftain from every kind of intercourfe even with their
own wives, for the fpace of three days and nights before they go to war,
and fo after they return home, becaufe they are to fandify themfelves.
This religious war cuftom, el’pecially in fo favage a generation, feems
to be derived from the Hebrews, who thus fandified themfelves, to gain
the divine protedion, and vidory over their common enemies: as in
the precept of Mofes to the war camp when he afcended Mount Sinai; and
in Jofhua’s prohibition to the Ifraelites •; and in the cafe of Uriah. The
warriors confider themfelves as devoted to God apart from the reft of the

tradition, that when they left their own native land, they brought with them a fantlijied
rod by order of an oracle, which they fixed every night in the ground ; and were to remove
from place to place on the continent towards the fun-riling, till it budded in one night's time ;
that they obeyed the facred mandate, and the miracle took place after they arrived to this
jide of the Miflifippi, on the prefent land they poflefs. This, they fay, was the foie
caufe of their fettling here—of fighting fo firmly for their reputed holy land and holy things
—and that they may be buried with their beloved fore-fathers. 1 have feen other Indians who

was a branch of an almond-tree, and that budded and blollomed in one night.

* Jolhua commanded the Ifraelites the night before they marched, tofan&ify themfelves by
walhing their clothes, avoiding all impurities, and abilaining from matrimonial intercourfe.

Y 2 people.

164 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

people, while they are at war accompanying the facred ark with the fup-
pofed holy things it contains.

The French Indians are faid not to have deflowered any of our young women
they captivated, while at war with us ; and unlefs the black tribe, the French
Canadian priefts, corrupted their traditions, they would think fuch actions de¬
filing, and what muft bring fatal eonfequences on their own heads. We have
an attefted narrative of an Englifh prifoner, who made his efcape from the
Shawanoh Indians, which was printed at Philadelphia, anno 1757, by which
we were aflured, that even that blood-thirfty villain, Capt. Jacob, did not
attempt the virtue of his female captives, left (as he told one of them) it
fhould offend the Indian’s God; though at the fame time his pleafures
heightened in proportion to the fhrieks and groans of our people of dif¬
ferent ages and both fexes, while they were under his tortures.

Although the Choktah are libidinous, and lofe their cuftoms apace,,
yet I have known them to take feveral female prifoners without offering the
lead: violence to their virtue, till the time of purgation was expired •,—then
fome of them forced their captives, notwithftanding their prefling entreaties
and tears. As the aforefaid Shawanoh renegado profefled himfelf fo obfer-
vant of this law of purity, fo the other northern nations of Indians, who are
free from adulteration by their far-diftance from foreigners,, do not negleft
fo great a duty : and it is highly probable, notwithftanding the fllei.ce of
our writers, that as purity was AriiStly obferved by the Hebrews in the tem¬
ple, field and wildernefs, the religious rites and cuftoms of the northern
Indians, differ no farther from thofe of the nations near our fouthern fettle-
ments than reafon will admit, allowing for their diftant fituation from Peru
and Mexico, whence they feem to have travelled..

When they return home viftorious over the enemy, they fing the tri¬
umphal fong to Yo-He-Wah, afcribing the viftory to him, according to
a religious cuftom of the Ifraelites, who were commanded always to
attribute their fuccefs in war to Jehovah, and not to their fwords and
arrows.

In the year 1765, when the Chikkafah returned with two French fcalps,
from the Illinois, (while the Britilh troops were on the Miflifippi, about
170 leagues below the Illinois) as my trading houfe was near the Chikkafah

5 Their triumphal Jong for Juccefs. 165

leader, I had a good opportunity of obferving his conduit, as far as it was.
expofed to public view.

Within a day’s march of home, he fent a runner a-head with the glad
tidings—and to order his dark winter houfe to be fwept out very clean, fop
fear of pollution. By ancient cuftom, when the out-ftanding party fet off
for war, the women are fo afraid of the power of their holy things, and of pro-
phaning them, that they fweep the houfe and earth quite clean, place the
fweepings in a heap behind the door, leaving it there undifturbed, till Opae,
who carries the ark, orders them by a faithful meflenger to remove it. He
likewife orders them to carry out every utenfil which the women had ufed dur¬
ing his abfence, for fear of incurring evil by pollution. The party, appeared
next day painted red and black, their heads covered all over with fwan down,
and a tuft of long white feathers fixt to the crown of their heads. Thus
they approached, carrying each of the fcalps on a branch of the ever-green
pine *, Tinging the awful death fong, with a folemn ftriking air, and fome-
times Yo He Wah-, now and then founding the fhrill death Whdo Whoop
Whoop. When they arrived, the leader went a-head of his company,
round his winter hot houfe, contrary to the courfe of the fun, Tinging the
monofyllable YO, for about the fpace of five feconds on a tenor key ; again.
He He (hort, on a bafs key ; then Wah Wah, gutturally on the treble,
very fhrill, but not fo fhort as the bafs note. In this manner they repeated
thofe facred notes, YO, He He, Wah Wah, three times, while they were
Sniffling the circle, a ftrong emblem of the eternity of Him, “ who is, was,
and is to come,” to whom they fung their triumphal fong, afcribing the
viftory over their enemies to his ftrong arm, inftead of their own, accord¬
ing to the ufage of the Ifraelites by divine appointment. The duplication
of the middle and laft fyllables of the four-lettered efiential name of the
deity, and the chaBge of the key from their eftabiiftied method of invoking
YO He Wah, when they are drinking their bitter drink, (the CuJJeena)m their
temples, where they always fpend a long breath on each of the two firlfc

* As the Indians carry their enemies fcalps on fmall branches of ever-green pine, and
wave the martial trophies on a pine-branch before YO Ha Wah ; I cannot help thinking
that the pine was the emblematical tree fo often mentioned in divine writ, by the plural
name, Shiitim ; efpecially as the mountain Cedar, comparatively fpeaking, is low and does
not feem to anfwer the delcription of the infpircd writers; befides that 13J Cbcphtr
as figuratively applied to the mercy-leat, fignifying, literally, a fcrcen, or cover againft Ilorms 5.
which was pitched over with the gum of the pine-uee.

fyllables-

166 On the defctnt of the American Indians from the Jews.

fyl tables of that awful divine fong, feems defigned to prevent a proph*.
nation.

The leader’s Hetijfu , “ or waiter,” placed a couple of new blocks of wood
near the war pole, oppofite to the door of the circular hot-houfe, in the
middle of which the fire-place flood •, and on thefe blocks he relied the fup-
pofed facred ark, fo that it and the holy fire faced each other. The party
were filent a confiderable time. At length, the chieftain bade them fit down,
and then enquired whether his houfe was prepared for the folemn oc-
cafion, according to his order the day before : being anfwered in the affir¬
mative, they foon rofe up, founded the death whoop, and walked round
the war pole-; during which they invoked and fung three times, YO, He
He, Wah Wah, in the manner already deferibed. Then they went with
their holy things in regular order into the hot-houfe, where they continued,
exclufive of the firft broken day, three days and nights apart from the
reft of the people, purifying themfelves with warm lotions, and afperfions
of the emblematical button-fnake-root, without any other fuhfiftence be¬
tween the rifing and the fetting of the fun.

During the other part of the time, the female relations of each of the
•company, after having bathed, anointed, and dreft themfelves in their
fined. Hood in two rows, one on each fide of the door, facing each
■other, from the evening till the morning, finging Ha Ha, Ha He, with a
foft fhrill voice and a folemn moving air for more than a minute, and then
paufed about ten minutes, before they renewed their triumphal fong.
While they fung, they gave their legs a fmall motion, by the ftrong
working of their mufcles, without feeming to bend their joints. When
they had no occafion to retire, they have flood ereft in the fame place, a
long frofty night ; and except when finging, obferved a moft profound
filence the whole time. During that period, they have no intercourfe with
their hufbands; and they avoid feveral other fuppofed pollutions, as not
•to eat or touch fait, and the like.

The leader, once in two or three hours came out at the head of his com¬
pany, and raifing the death whoop, made one circle round the red painted
war pole, holding up in their right hands the fmall boughs of pine with
the fealps fixt to them, finging as above, waving them to and fro, and then
•returned again. This religious order they ftriftly obferved the whole time

they

Their Solemnities after viStory. 167

they were purifying themfelves, and finging the fong of fafety, and viftory,
to the goodnefs and power of the divine effence. When the time of their
purification and thanklgiving expired, the men and women went and bathed
themfelves feparately, returned in the fame manner, and anointed again,,
according to their ufual cuftom.

They joined foon after in a folemn proceflion, to fix the fcalps on the
tops of the houfes of their relations who had been killed without re¬
venge of blood. The war chieftain went firft—his religious attendant fol¬
lowed him 1 the warriors next, according to their rifing merit; and the
fongftreffes brought up the rear. In this order they went round the leader’s
winter-houfe from the eaft to the north, the men linking up the death
whoop, and finging the death fong * and then YO, He He, Wah Wah, as
defcribed •, the women alfo warbling Ha Ha, Ha He, fo that one might
have faid according to the facred text, “ great was the company of the wo¬
men who fung the fong of triumph.” * Then they fixed on the top of the
houfe, a twig of the pine they had brought with them, with a fmall piece
of one of the fcalps fattened to it: and this order they obferved from
houfe to houfe, till in their opinion they had appeafed the ghofts of their
dead. They went and bathed again; and thus ended their purifica¬
tion, and triumphal folemnity—only the leader and his religious waiter
kept apart three days longer, purifying themfelves. I afterward alked
the reafon of this—they replied they were JJhtoboollo. This- feems to be
fo plain a copy of the old Jewilh cuftoms, I am fatisfied the reader will
tafily difcern the analogy, without any farther obfervations.

I cannot however conclude this argument, without a few remarks concerns
ing the Indian methods of making peace, and of renewing their old friendlhip;.
They firft fmoke out of the friend-pipe, and eat together; then they drink of
the Cujfeena , ufing fuch invocations as have been mentioned, and proceed,
to wave their large fans of eagles-tails,—concluding with a dance. The-
perfons vifited, appoint half a dozen of their mod adtive and expert young
warriors to perform this religious duty, who have had their own temples
adorned with the fwan-feather-cap. They paint their bodies with white
clay, and cover their heads with fwan-down ; then approaching the chief

• Laft year I heard the Choktah women, in thofe towns which lie next to New Or¬
leans, ling a tegular anthem and dirge, in the dulk_ of the evening, while their kinfmen
were gone to war againll the Muikobge.-

eprefentative

t -63 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

reprefentative of the ftrangers, who by way of honour, and ftrong aflurance
of friendffiip, is feated on the central white or holy feat, “ the beloved cab-
bin” (which is about nine feet long and feven feet broad), they wave the
eagles tails backward and forward over his head *. Immediately they be¬
gin the folemn fong with an awful air; and prefently they dance in a
bowing pofture; then they raife themfelves fo ereft, that their faces
look partly upwards, waving the eagles tails with their right hand to¬
ward heaven, fometimes with a flow, at others with a quick motion; at
the fame time they touch their breaft with their fmall callabafh and peb¬
bles fattened to a flick of about a foot long, which they hold in their
left hand, keeping time with the motion of the eagles tails: during
the dance, they repeat the ufual divine notes, YO, &c. and wave the
eagles tails now and then over the ftranger’s head, not moving above
two yards backward or forward before him. They are fo furprifingly ex¬
pert in their fuppofed religious office, and obferve time fo exactly, with
their paeticuflar geflures and notes, that there is not the leaft dilcernible
difcord. If the Hebrews danced this way, (as there is ftrong preemptive
proof) they had very fweating work, for every joint, artery, and nerve,
is ftretched to the higheft pitch of exertion; and this may account for
■Saul’s daughter Michal, chiding David for falling in with the common

Their method of making peace, and renewing friendjhip. 169

he is drinking the Cufieena, and dance before him with the eagles tails.
When two chieftains are renewing, or perpetuating friendlhip with each
other, they are treated with the fame ceremonies. And in their circular
friendly dances, when they honour their guefts, and pledge themfelves to
keep good faith with them, they fometimes fing their divine notes with
a very at*ful air, pointing their right hand towards the iky. Some years
ago, I faw the Kooafahte Indians (two hundred miles up Mobille river)
perform this rite with much folemnity; as if invoking the deity by their
notes and geftures, to enable them to fliew good-will to their fellow-
creatures, and to bear wknefs of their faithful vows and conduit. This
cuftom is plainly not derived from the old Scythians, or any other part of
the heathen world. Their forms and ufages when they made peace, or
pledged faith, and contracted friendihip with each other, were widely dif¬
ferent : but to thofe of the Jews it hath the neareft refemblance.

ARGUMENT XVII.

The Indian origin and defcent may alfo be in fome meafure difcerned
by their tafte for, and kind of Ornaments.

The Ifraelites were fond of wearing beads and other ornaments, even as
early as the patriarchal age, and the tafte increafed to fuch a degree .that it
became criminal, and was Iharply reprehended by the prophets, particularly
Ifaiah. The Ifraelitifh women wore rich garters about their legs, and
againft the rules of modefty, they Ihortened their under garments, in or¬
der to Ihew how their legs and feet were decorated; Ifaiah, chap. iii. iS.
“ The Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments
about their feet,” which loaded them fo heavy that they could fcarcely walk;
and ver. 19, 20, 21. “ The chains and the bracelets — The ornaments of
the legs—and the ear-rings—The rings and nofe jewels.” In refemblance
to thefe cuftoms, the Indian females continually wear a beaded ftring round
their legs, made of buffalo-hair, which is a fpecies of coarfe wool; and
they reckon it a great ornament, as well as a prefervative againft mif-
carriages, hard labour, and other evils. They wear alfo a heap of land
Z tortoife-

j 70 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

tortoife-ftiells with pebbles or beads in them, fadened to pieces of deer-fkins,
which they tie to the outfide of their legs, when they mix with the men in-
their religious dances.

The Indian nations are agreed in the cultom of thus adorning them-
felves with beads of various fizes and colours; fometimes wroughcin garters,
ladies, necklaces, and in firings round their wrifts; and fo from the crown
of their heads fometimes to the cartilage of the nofe. And they doat
on them fo much, as to make them their current money in all payments
to this day.

Before we fupplied them with our European beads, they had great quan¬
tities of wampum; (the Buccinum of the ancients) made out of conch-
Ihell, by rubbing them on hard ftones, and fo they form them according to
their liking. With thefe they bought and fold at a dated current rate,
without the lead variation for circumdances either of time or place ; and
now they will hear nothing patiently of lofs or gain, or allow us to heighten;
the price of our goods, be our reafons ever fo drong, or though the exigen¬
cies and changes of time may require it. Formerly, four deer-fkins was the
price of a large conch-Oiell bead, about the length and thicknefs of a;
man’s fore-finger; which they fixed to the crown of their head, as an high
ornament—fo greatly they valued them. Their beads bear a very near re-
femblance to ivory, which was highly edeemed by the Hebrews.

The New-England writers adore us, that the Naraganfat Indians paid to
the colony of Mafiachufetts, two hundred fathoms of wampum, only in
part of a debt; and at another payment one-hundred fathoms: which
fhews the Indian cudom of wearing beads has prevailed far north on this
continent, and before the fird fettling of our colonies.

According to the oriental cudom, they wear ear-rings and finger-rings
in abundance. Tradition fays, they followed the like cudom before they
became acquainted with the Englilh.

The men and women in old times ufed fuch coarfe diamonds, as their
own hilly country produced, when each had a bit of done fadened with a

deer’s

’Their tafte for irnamlnti. t.j i

deer’s finew to the tying of their hair, their nofe, ears, and maccafeenes:
but from the time we fupplied them with our European ornaments, they have
ufed brafs and fdver ear-rings, and finger-rings; the young warriors now.
frequently fafter. bell-buttons, or pieces of tinkling brafs to their maccafeenes,.
and to the outfide of their boots, inllead of the old turky-cock-fpurs
which they formerly ufed. Both fexes efteem the above things, as very
great ornaments of drefs, and commonly load the parts with each fort, in
proportion to their ability of purchafing them : it is a common trading rule
with us, to judge of the value of an Indian’s effects, by the weight of his fin¬
gers, wrifts, ears, crown of his head, boots, and maccafeenes—by the
quantity of red paint daubed on his face, and by the fhirt about the collar;
Ihoulders, and back, fhould he have one.

Although the fame things are commonly alike ufed or difufed, by males
and females; yet they dillinguifh their fexes in as exaft a manner as
any civilized nation. The women bore fmall holes in the lobe of their ears
for their rings, but the young heroes cut a hole round almoft the extre¬
mity of both their ears, which till healed, they ftretch out with a large tuft of
buffalo’s wool mixt with bear’s oil: then they twift as much fmall wire round
as will keep them extended in that hideous form. This cuftom however
is wearing off apace. They formerly wore tto/e-rings, or jewels, both in the
northern and fouthern regions of America, according to a fimilar cuftom of
the Jews and eafterns •, and in fotne places they (till obferve it. At prefent,
they hang a piece of battered filver or pewter, or a large bead to the
noftril, like the European method of treating fwine, to prevent them froth
rooting the earth ; this, as well as the reft of their cuftoms, is a true pic¬
ture and good copy of their fuppoled early progenitors.

I have been among the Indians at a drinking match, when feveral of
their beaus have been humbled as low as death, for the great lofs of
their big ears. Being fo widely extended, it is as eafy for a perfon to
take hold of, and pull them off, as to remove a couple of fmall hoops
were they hung within reach •, but if the ear after the pull, ftick to their
head by one end, when they get fober, they pare and few it together
with a needle and deer’s finews, after fweating him in a ftove. Thus the
difconfolate warrior recovers his former cheerfulnefs, and hath a lafting cau¬
tion of not putting his ears a fccohd time in danger' with bad company:

Z z however.

172 On tie defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

however, it is not deemed a fcandal to lofe their ears by any accident, be-
caule they became (lender and brittle, by their virtuous compliance with,
that favourite cuftom of their anceftors.

ARGUMENT XVIII.

The Indian manner of Curing their Sick, is very fimilar to that of
the Jews. They always invoke YO He Wah, a confiderable fpace of time
before they apply any medicines, let the cafe require ever fo fpeedy an ap¬
plication. The more defperately ill their patients are, the more earneftly
they invoke the deity on the fad occafion. Like the Hebrews, they
firmly believe that difeafes and wounds are occafioned by the holy fire, or
divine anger, in proportion, to Ibme violation of the old beloved fpeech.
The Jews had but fmall (kill in phyfic.—They called a phyfician “ a binder
of wounds,” for he chiefly poured oil into the wounds and bound them
up. They were no great friends to this kind of learning and fcience;
and their Talmud has this proverb, “ the beft phyficians go to helL’*
King Afa was reproved for having applied to phyficians, for his difeafe in
his feet. The little ufe they made of the art of medicine, efpecially for
internal maladies •, and their perfuafion that diftempers were either the im¬
mediate effefls of God’s anger, or caufed by evil fpirits, led them to apply
themfelves to the prophets, or or to diviners, magicians and enchanters.
Hezekiah’s boil was cured by Ifaiah—Benhadad king of Syria, and Naaman
the Syrian applied to the prophet Elilha, and Ahaziah king of Ifrael fent to
confult Baal-zebub. The Indians deem the curing their fickor wounded a
very religious duty •, and it is chiefly performed by their fuppofed prophets,
and magi, becaufe they believe they are infpired with a great portion of the
divine fire. On thefe occafions they fing YO YO, on a low bals key for
two or three minutes very rapidly s' in like manner. He He, and Wa Wa.
Then they tranfpofe and accent thofe facred notes with great vehemence,
and fupplicating fervor, rattling all the while a calabafh with fmall pebble-
ftoncs, in imitation of the old Jewilh rattles, to make a greater found, and
7 as

7 heir manner of curing the fck. 173

as it were move the deity to co-operate with their fimple means and-
finiih the cure *.

When the Indian phyficians vifit their fuppofed irreligious patients,
they approach them in a bending pofture, with their rattling calabaih,
preferring that fort to the North-American gourds: and in that bent
pofture of body, they run two or three times round the fick perfon,
contrary to the courfe of the fun, invoking God as already expreft.
Then they invoke the raven, and mimic his croaking voice: Now this
bird was an ill omen to the ancient heathens,, as we may- fee by the
prophet Ifaiah s . fo that, common wifdom, or fclf-love, would not have
dire&ed them to fuch a choice,, if their traditions had reprefented it as a-
bad fymbol. But they chofe it as an emblem of recovery, probably from

174 On the defcent if the American Indians from the Jews.

■found dry ground to reft on *. They ?lfo place a bafon of cold water with
fome pebbles in it on the ground, near the patient, then they invoke the
fifh, becaufe of its cold element, to cool the heat of the fever. Again,
they invoke the eagle, ( Oeole ) they folicit him as he foars in the heavens,
to bring down refrelhing things for their fick, and not to delay them, as
he can dart down upon the wing, quick as a flafh of lightning. They are
fo tedious on this fabjeft, that it would be a talk to repeat it: however,
it may be needful to obferve, that they chufe the eagle becaufe of its fup-
pofed communicative virtues ; and that it is according to its Indian name,
a cherubimical emblem, and the king of birds, of prodigious ftrength,
fwiftnefs of wing, majeftic ftature, and loving its young ones fo tenderly,
ns to carry them on its back, and teach them to fly.

Jofephus tells us, that Solomon had a divine power conferred upon him,
of driving evil fpirits out of pofiefled perfons — that he invented feveral
incantations by which difeafes were cured — and lefc behind him fuch a
fure method of exorcifing, as the demons never returned again : and he
aiTures us, the Jews followed the like cuftom as late as his own time -,
and that he faw fuch a cure performed by one Eleazar. They likewile ima¬
gined, that the liver of a filh would keep away evil fpirits, as one of the
apocryphal writers acquaints us -j-.

In

"* The ancients drew bad prefages from the fltuation, and croaking of ravens and crows.
They looked on that place as unhappy, where either of them had croaked in the morning.
Hefiod forbids to leave a houfe unfinilhed, left a crow Ihould chance to come and croak when
fitting on it. And moft of the illiterate peafants in Europe are tinftured with the like fuper-
ilition, pretending to draw ill omens from its voice.

+ They imagined incenfe alfo to be a fure means to banilh the devil; though afafoetida,
or the devil’s dung, might have been much better. On Cant. iv. 6. “ I will get me
to the hill of incenfe,” the Chaldee paraphraft fays, that, while the houfe of Ifrael kept
the art of their holy fore-fathers, both the morning and mid-day evil fpirits fled away,
becaufe the divine glory dwelt in the fanflnary, which was built on Mount Moriah ;
and that all the devils fled when they fmclled the effluvia of the line incenfe that *ias
there. They likewife believed that herbs and roots had a power to expel dtemons. And
Jofephus tells us, that the root Barm, immediately drives out the devil. I fuppofe it had
fuch a phyfica! power againlt fevers and agues, as the jefuit’s bark.

The church of Rome, in order to have powerful holy things, as well as the Jews, applies
£alt, fpittle, holy-water, and confecrated oil, to expel the devils from the credulous of their

*75

‘Their manner of curing the fck.

In the Summer-feafon of the year 1746, I chanced to fee the Indians
playing at a houfe of the former Miffifippi-Nachee, on one of their old
facred mufical inltrumenrs. It pretty much refembled the Negroe-Banger
in lhape, but far exceeded it in dimenfions; for it was about five feet long,
and a foot wide on the head-part of the board, with eight firings made
out of the finews of a large buffalo. But they were fo unlkilful in acting
the part of the Lyrick, that the Leache, or prophet who held the inftru-
ment between his feet, and along fide of his chin, took one end of the
bow, whilft a lufty fellow held the other ; by fweating labour they fcraped'
out fuch harfil jarring founds, as might have been reafonably expefted by
a foft ear, to have been fufficient to drive out the devil if he lay any
where hid in the houfe. When I afterward alked him the name, and the
reafon of fuch a ftrange method of diverfion, he told me the dance was
called Keetla Ijhto Hoclio, “ a dance to, or before, the great holy one
that it kept off evil fpirits, witches, and wizards, from the red people •,
and enabled them to ordain elderly men to officiate in holy things, as the
exigency of the times required.

He who danced to it, kept his place and pofture. In a very exafl man¬
ner, without the leaft perceivable variation: yet by the prodigious working
of his mufcles and nerves, he in about half an hour, foamed in a very
extraordinary manner, and difconlinued it proportionally, till he recovered
himfelf. This furprifing cuftom I have mentioned here, becaufe it was
ufual among the Hebrews, for their prophets to become furious, and as it
were befide themfelves, when they were about to- propbefy. Thus with
regard to Saul, it feems that he became furious, and tortured his body by
violent geftures: and when Elifha fent one of the children of the pro¬
phets to anoint Jehu, one laid to him, wherefore cometh this mad fel¬
low ? The Chaldee paraphraft, on 1 Sam. xviii. 10. concerning Saul’s
prophefying, paraphrafes it, caepit furire, “ he began to grow mad, See."

When the Eaft-Indian Fakirs are giving out their pretended prophe¬
cies, they chufe drums and trumpets, that by fuch confufed-ftriking founds,

own perfuafion ; and the oil alone is ufed as a viaticum, on account of its lubricous quality,
to make them flippery, and thereby prevent the devil from laying hold, and pulling them
down when they afeend upward. They reckon that obfervance a moll religious duty, and
an infallible prefervative againil the legions of evil fpirits who watch in the atrial regions ;
and alfo necelfary to gaimceleflial admidion for believers.

7 theif-

176 On the defeent of the American Indians from the Jews.

their fenfes may be lulled alleep or unfettled, which might otherwife
•render them uncapable of receiving the fuppofed divine infpiration. And
they endeavour to become thus poffeft before crowds of people with a
furious rage, by many frantic and violent motions of body, and changes of
•pofture, till they have raifed it to the higheft pitch they are capable of,
and then fall on the ground almoft breathlefs •, when they recover them-
felves a little, they give out their prophecies, which are deemed ora¬
cular.

La&antius and others tell us, that the Sibyls were poffeft of the
•like fury ; and molt part of the ancients believed they ought to become
furious, the members of the body to lhake, and the hairs of their head to
itand an end before they could be divinely infpired: which feems plainly to
fhew, that though the ancient heathens mimicked a great deal of the Mo-
.faic law, yet theirs had but a faint glance on the Hebrew manner of
confulting Yohewah ; whereas the Indian Americans invoke the true God,
by his favourite efiential name, in a bowing pofture, on every material
occafion, whether civil, martial, or religious, contrary to the ufage of all
the old heathen world.

In the year 1765,"an old phyftcian, or prophet, almoft drunk with fpiritu-
ous liquors, came to pay me a friendly vifit: his fituation made him more
communicative than he would have been if quite fober. When he came to
the door, he bowed himfelf half bent, with his arms extended north and
i'outh, continuing fo perhaps for the fpace of a minute. Then raifing him-
,felf eredt, with .his arms in the fame pofition, he looked in a wild frightful
manner, from.the fouth-weft toward the north, and fung on a low bafs key
To To To To, almoft a minute, then He He He He, for perhaps the fame
(pace of time, and JVa Wa Wa Wa, in like manner; and then tranf-
pofed, and accented thofe facred notes feveral different ways, in a moft
rapid guttural manner. Now and then he looked upwards, with his head
confiderably bent backward;—his fong continued about a quarter of an
hour. As my door which was then open flood eaft, his face of courfe
looked toward the weft; but whether the natives thus ufually invoke the
deity, I cannot determine ; yet as all their winter houfes have their doors
toward the eaft, had he ufed the like folenw invocations there, his face
would have confequently looked the fame way, contrary to the ufage of

the

Their burial of the dead. 177

the heathens. After his fong, he Hepped in : I faluted him, faying, « Are you
come my beloved old friend f” he replied, Arahre-O. “ I am come in the
name of Oea." I told him, I was glad to fee, that- in this mad age,

he ftill retained the old Chikkafah virtues. He laid, that as he came

with a glad heart to fee me his old friend, he imagined he could not do
me a more kind fervice, than to fecure my houfe from the power of the
evil fpirits of the north, fouth, and weft,—and, from witches, and wiz¬
ards, who go about in dark nights, in the lhape of bears, hogs, and

wolves, to fpoil people: “ the very month before, added he, we killed
an old witch, for having ufed deftruftive charms.” Becaufe a child was
fuddenly taken ill, and died, on the phyfician’s falfe evidence, the fa¬
ther went to the poor helplefs old woman who was fitting innocent, and
unfufpe&ing, and funk his tomohawk into her head, without the leaft fear
of being called to an account. They call witches and wizards, IJhtabe,
and Hoollabe, “ man-killers,” and “ fpoilers of things facred.” My pro¬
phetic friend defired me to think myfelf fecure from thofe dangerous enemies
of darknefs, for (faid he) Tar00a lJhtoboollo-Antarooarc , “ I have fung the fong
of the great holy one.” The Indians are fo tenacious of concealing their
religious myfteries, that I never before obferved fuch an invocation on the
dike occafion — adjuring evil fpirits, witches, &c. by the awful name of
deity.

ARGUMENT XIX.

The Hebrews have at all times been very careful in the Burial of their
dead—to be deprived of it was confidered as one of the greateft of evils.
They made it a point of duty to perform the funeral obfequies of their
friends—often embalmed the dead bodies of thofe who were rich, and even
buried treafure in the tombs with their dead. Jofephus tells us, that in
king David’s fepulchre, was buried fuch a prodigious quantity of treafures,
that Hyrcanus the Maccabean, took three thoufand talents out of it, about
thirteen hundred years after, to get rid of Antiochus then befieging Jeru-
falem. And their people of diftinclion, we are told, followed the like cuf-
tom of burying gold and filver with the dead. Thus it was an univerfal
cuftom with the ancient Peruvians, when the owner died to bury his
A a effefts

178 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

effects with him, which the avaricious Spaniards perceiving, they robbed
thefe ftore-houfes of the dead of an immenfe quantity of treafures. The
modern Indians bury all their moveable riches, according to the cuftom of
the ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, infomuch, that the grave is heir of all.

Except the Cheerake, only one in (lance of deviation, from this ancient
and general Indian cuftom occurs to me: which was that of Malahche , the
late famous chieftain of the Kowwetah head war-town of the lower part of
the Mulkohge country, wlio bequeathed all he poffeffed to his real, and.
adopted relations,—being ienflble they would be much more ufeful to his
living friends, than to himfelf during his long deep : he difplayed a genius
far fuperior to the crowd.

The Cheerake of late years, by the reiterated perfuafion of the traders,
have entirely left off the cuftom of burying effects with the dead body ;
the neareft of blood inherits them. They, and feveral other of our Indian,
nations, ufed formerly to (hoot all the live ftock that belonged to the de-
ceafed, foon after the interment of the corpfe 5 not according to the Pa¬
gan cuftom of the funeral piles, on which they burned feveral of the
living, that they might accompany and wait on the dead, but from a
narrow-hearted avaricious principle, derived from their Hebrew proge¬
nitors.

Notwithftanding the North-American Indians, like the South-AmerL-
cans, inter the whole riches of the deceafed with him, and fo make his
corpfe and the grave heirs of all, they never give them the leaft difturbance
even a blood-thirfty enemy will not defpoil nor difturb the dead. The grave
proves an afylum, and a fure place of reft to the deeping perfon, till at
fome certain time, according to their opinion, he rifes again to inherit
his favourite place,—unlefs the covetous, or curious hand of lbme foreigner,
(hould break through his facred bounds. This cuftom of burying the dead
perfon’s treafures with him, has entirely fwallowed up their medals, and
other monuments of antiquity, without any probability of recovering
them *.

As

* In the Tuccaba'.chcs on the Tallapooje river, thirty miles above the Allabahamah garri-
fen, are two brazea tables, and five of copper. They efteem them fo facred as to keep

them.

Their burial of the dead.

*79

As the Hebrews carefulJy buried their dead, fo on any accident, they
•gathered their bones and laid them in the tombs of their fore-fathers:
Thus, all the numerous nations of Indians perform the like friendly office to
every deceafed perfon of their refpettive tribe j infomuch, that thofe who

them, conftantly in their holy of holies, without touching them in the lead, only in the time
•of their compounded firll-fruit-offering, and annual expiation of fins; at which feafon, their
xnagus carries one under his arm, a-head of the people, dancing round the facred arbour;
next to him their head-warrior carries another ; and thofe warriors who chufe it, carry the
reft after the manner of the high-prieft; all the others carry white canes with fwan-
feathers at the top. Hearing accidentally of thefe important monuments of antiquity, and en¬
quiring pretty much about them, 1 was certified of the truth of the report by four of the
fouthern traders, at the moft eminent Indian-trading houfe of all Englilh America. One of
the gentlemen informed me, that at my requeft he endeavoured to get a liberty of viewing
the aforefaid tables, but it could not poflibly be obtained, only in the time of the yearly-
grand facrifice, for fear of polluting their holy things, at which time gentlemen of curiofity
may fee them. Old Bracket, an Indian of perhaps too years old, lives in that old beloved
town, who gave the following defcription of them:

Old Bracket's account of the five copper and rwe Ira/i plates under the beloved cabbin in
T uccabatchey-fquare.

A

The (hape of the five copper plates; one is a
half long and feven inches wide, the other four a:

foot and

The largeft damped thus

The (hape of the two brafs plates,—about a foot and a
1 half in diameter.

He faid—he was told by his forefathers that thofe plates were given to them by the man
•we call God; that there had been many more of other (hapes, fome as long as he could
ftretch with both his arms, and fome had writing upon them which were buried with parti¬
cular men ; and that they had inftruflions given with them, viz. they mull only be handled
by particular people, and thofe falling; and no unclean woman mull be fulfercd to come
near them or the place where they are depofited. He faid, none but this town's people
had any fuch plates given them, and that they were a different people from the Creeks.
He only remembered three more, which were buried with three of his family, and he was
the only man of the family now left. He faid, there were two copper plates under the
•king’s cabbin, which had lain there from the firft fettling of the town

This account was taken in the Tuccabatchey-fquare, 27th July, 1759, per Will. Bslfrvtr,

A a a

lofe

180 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

lofe their people at war, if they have not corrupted their primitive cuftoms,
are fo obfervant of this kindred duty, as to appropriate fome time to col-
ledt the bones of their relations; which they call bone gathering, or “ga¬
thering the bones to their kindred,” according to the Hebrew idiom*..
The Cheerake, by reafon of their great intercourfe with foreigners, have
dropped that friendly office : and as they feem to be more intelligent than
the reft of our Englifh-American Indians in their religious rites, and cere¬
monial obfervances, fo I believe, the fear of pollution has likewife contri¬
buted to obliterate that ancient kindred duty. However, they l'eparate
thofe of their people who die at home, from others of a different nation;,
and every particular tribe indeed of each nation bears an intenfe love to
itfelf, and divides every one of its people from the reft, both while living,
and after they are dead.

When any of them die at a diftance, if the company be not driven,
and purfued by the enemy, they place the corpfe on a fcaffold, covered 1
with notched logs to fecure it from being torn by wild beads, or fowls
of prey: when they imagine the flefh is confumed, and the bones are
thoroughly dried, they return to the place, bring them home, and inter
them in a very folemn manner. They will not aflociate with us, when we
are burying any of our people, who die in their land: and they are un¬
willing we fhould join with them while they are performing this kindred
duty to theirs. Upon which account, though I have lived among them
in the raging time of the fmall pox, even of the confluent fort, I never law
but one buried, who was a great favourite of the Englifh, and chieftain.of
Oeeafa, as formerly defcribed.

The Indians ufe the fame ceremonies to the bones of their dead, as
if they were covered with their former fkin, flefh, and ligaments. It is but
a few days fince I faw fome return with the bones of nine of their people,
who had been two months before killed by the enemy. They were tied in
white deer-fkins, feparately ; and when carried by the door of one of the
houfes of their family, they were laid down oppofite to it, till the female

* With the Hebrews, “ to gather,” ulually lignified to die. Gen. xlix. 33. Jacob is laid
to be gathered to his people. Pfal. xxvi. 9. Gather not my foal with linnets. And Numb.
xx. 24. Aaron (ball be gathered to his people.

relations.

Their burial of the dead..

relations convened, with flowing hair, and wept over them about half an
hour. Then they carried them home to their friendly magazines of mor¬
tality, wept over them again, and then buried them with the ufual folem-
nities; putting their valuable effedbs, and as I am informed, other con¬
venient things in along with them, to be of fervice to them in the next ftate.
The chieftain carried twelve Ihort flicks tied together, in the form of a
quadrangle; fo that each fquare confifted of three. The flicks were onlyi
peeled, without any paintings; but there were fwans feathers tied to eachi
corner, and as they called that frame, Tereekpe tobeb , “ a white circle,” and
placed it over the door, while the women were weeping over the bones,,
perhaps it was originally defigned to reprefent the holy fire, light, and fpi-
rit, who formerly prefided over the four principal ftandards of the twelve,
tribes of Ifrael.

When any of-their people die at home, they waft and anoint the corpfe,
and foon bring it out of doors for fear of pollution ; then they place it oppo-
fite to the door, on the Ikins of wild beads, in a fitting pofture, as look¬
ing into the door of the winter houfe, weftward, fufficiently fupported
with all his moveable goods 5 after a.fliort elogium, and fpace of-mourn-
ing, they carry him three times around the houfe in which he is to
be interred, ftoping half a minute each time, at the place where they began
the circle, while the religious man of the deceafed perfon’s family, who.
goes before the hearfe, fays each time, Tab, fhort with a bafs voice, and
then invokes on a tenor key, To, which at the fame time is likewife fung
by all the proceflion, as long as one breath allows. Again, he ftrikes up,,
on a fharp treble key, the feeminine note. He, which in like planner, is
taken up and continued by the reft : then all of them fuddenly ftrike off"
the folemn chorus, and facred invocation, by faying, on a low key, IVab-,
which conftitute the divine eflential name, Tohewab. This is the method
in which they performed the funeral rites of the chieftain before referred to j
during which time, a great-many of the traders were prefent, as our company,
was agreeable at the interment of our declared patron and friend. It feems
as if they buried him in the name of the divine eflence, and directed their
plaintive religious notes to the author of life and death, in hopes of a
refurrection of the body; which hope engaged the Hebrews to.ftile their
hurying places, “ the houfe of the Lying.”

When

i8? On the defcent of the American Indians from tie Jews.

When they celebrated thefe funeral rites of the above, chieftain, they
laid the corpfe in his tomb, in a fitting pofture, with his face toward*
*he eaft, his head anointed with bear’s oil, and his face painted red, but not
ftreaked with black, becaufe that is a conftant emblem of war and death j
he was dreft in hi6 fineft apparel, having his gun and pouch, and trufty
hiccory bow, with a young panther’s (kin, full of arrows, along fide of
him, and every other ufeful thing he had been pofiefied of,—that when
he rifes again, they may ferve him in that trad of land which pleafed
him beft before he went to take his long deep. His tomb was firm
and clean in-fide. They covered it with thick logs, fo as to bear feveral
tiers of cyprefs-bark, and fuch a quantity of clay as would confine the pu¬
trid fmell, and be on a level with the reft of the floor. They often deep
■over thofe tombs; which, with the loud wailing of the women at the duflc
of the evening, and dawn of the day, on benches clofe by the tombs, muft
awake the memory of their relations very often : and if they were killed
by an enemy, it helps to irritate and fet on fuch revengeful tempers to re¬
taliate blood for blood.

The Egyptians either embalmed, or buried, their dead : other heathen
nations imagined that fire purified the body •, they burned therefore the bo¬
dies of their dead, and put their allies intofmall urns, which they religioudy
kept by them, as facred relicks. The Tartars called Kyrgeffi, near the
frozen fea, formerly ufed to hang their dead relations and friends upon,
trees, to be eaten by ravenous birds to purify them. But the Americans
feem evidently to have derived their copy from the Ifraelites, as to the
place where they bury their dead, and the method of their funeral cere¬
monies, as well as the perfons with whom they are buried, and the great
expences they are at in their burials. The Hebrews buried near the city
of Jerufalem, by the brook Kedron ; and they frequently hewed their tombs
out of rocks, or buried their dead oppofite to their doors, implying a filent
leflon of friendfhip, and a pointing caution to live well. They buried all
, of one family together; to which cuftom David alludes, when he fays,
41 gather me not with the wicked and Sophronius faid with regard to
the like form," noli me tangere, hseretice, neque vivum nec mortuum.” But
they buried ftrangers apart by themfelves, and named the place, Ktbbart
Caleya, “ the burying place of ftrangers.” And thefe rude Americans are
fo ftrongly partial to the fame cuftom, that they imagine if any of us

were

‘fheir manner of embalming -

i8y

were buried in the domeftic tombs of their kindred, without being adopted,.
it would be very criminal in them to allow it; and that our fpirits would
haunt the eaves of their houfes at night, and caufe feveral misfortunes to-
their family.

In refemblance to the Hebrew cuftom of embalming their dead, the Chok-
tah treat the corpfe juft as the religious Levite did his beloved concubine,,
who was abufed by the Benjamites; for having placed the dead on a
high fcaffold ftockaded round, at the diftance of twelve yards from his
houfe oppofite to the door, the whole family convene there ar the beginning,
of the fourth moon after the interment, to lament and feaft together : after
wailing a while on the mourning benches, which ftand on the eaft fide of the
quadrangular tomb, they raife and bring out the corpfe, and while the feaft is
getting ready, a perfon whole office it is, and properly called the bone-picker,
di(Tofts it, as if it was intended for the lhambles in the time of a great fa¬
mine, with his (harp-pointed, bloody knife. He continues bufily employed
in his reputed facred office, till he has finithed the talk, and fcraped all
the flelh off the bones; which may juftly be called the Choktah method of
enbalming their dead. Then, they carefully place the bones in a kind of
fmall cheft, in their natural order, that they may with eafe and certainty be
fome time afterward reunited, and proceed to ftrike up a fong of lamen¬
tation, with various wailing tunes and notes : afterwards, they join as cheer¬
fully in the funeral feaft, as if their kinfman was only taking his ufual
fleep. Having regaled themfelves with a plentiful variety, they go along
with thofe beloved relicks of their dead, in folemn proceffion, lamenting
with doleful notes, till they arrive at the bone-houfe, which ftands in a
folitary place, apart from the town: then they proceed around it, much
after the manner of thofe who performed the obfequies of the Chikka-
fah chieftain, already defcribed, and there depofit their kinfman’s bones
to lie along fide of his kindred-bones, till in due time they are revived
By IJhtohooUo Aba, that he may repoffefs his favourite place.,

Thofe bone-houfes are fcaffolds raifed on durable pitch-pine forked pofts,
in the form of a houfe covered a-top, but open at both ends. I faw
three of them in one of their towns, pretty near each other—the place
fccmed to be unfrequented; each houfe contained the bones of one tribe,.

1 '"ftparately,.

;i 84 On the dcfcentof the American Indians from the yews.

feparately, with the hieoglyphical figures of the family on each of the old-
(liaped arks : they reckon it irreligious to mix the bones of a relation with
thofe of a ftranger, as bone of bone, and flefh of the fame flelh, fhould
be always joined together •, and much lefs will they thruft the body of
their beloved kinfman into the abominable tomb of a hateful enemy. I
.obferved a ladder fixed in the ground, oppofite to the middle of the broad¬
side of each of thofe dormitories of the dead, which was made out of a
.broad board, and flood confiderably bent over the facred repofitory, with
the fteps on the infide. On the top was the carved image of a dove,
with its wings ftretched out, and its head inclining down, as if ear-
neftly viewing or watching over the bones of the dead: and from the top
of the ladder to almoft the furface of the earth, there hung a chain of
.grape-vines twitted together, in circular links, and the fame likewife at
their domeftic tombs. Now the dove after the deluge, became the emblem
of Rowab , the holy fpirit, and in procefs of time was deified by the
heathen world, inftead of the divine perfon it typified : the vine was like¬
wife a fymbol of fruitfulnefs, both in the animal and vegetable world.

To perpetuate the memory of any remarkable warriors killed in the
•woods, I mull here obferve, that every Indian traveller as he pafies that way
throws a flone on the place, according as he likes or diflikes the occafion,
or manner of the death of the deceafed.

In the woods we often fee innumerable heaps of fmall ftones in thofe
-places, where according to tradition feme of their diftinguifhed people were
either killed, or buried, till the bones could be gathered : there they add
Peliott to OJ[a, (till increafing each heap, as a lading monument, and ho¬
nour to them, and an incentive to great aftions.

Mercury was a favourite god with the heathens, and had various em¬
ployments ; one of which was to be god of the roads, to direct travel¬
lers aright—from which the ancient Romans derived their Dii Compitales,
or Dei Viales , .which they likewife placed at the meeting of roads, and in
the high ways, and efteemed them the patrons and proteftors of travel¬
lers. The early heathens placed great heaps of ftones at the dividing of
3 the

'their raifing heaps of ftones over their dead. 185

the roads, and confecrated thofe heaps to him by unftion*, and other
religious ceremonies. And in honour to him, travellers threw a ftone M
them, and thus exceedingly increafed - their bulk: this might occaGon So¬
lomon to compare the giving honour to a fool, to throwing a ftone into a
heap, as each were alike infenftble of the obligation ; and to caufe the Jewilh
writers to call this cuftom a piece of idolatrous worfhip. But the In¬
dians place thofe heaps of ftones where there are no dividings of the roads,
nor the leaft trace of any road And they then obferve no kind of re¬
ligious ceremony, but raife thofe heaps merely to do honour to their dead,
and incite the living to the purfuit of virtue. Upon which account, it feems
to be derived from the ancient Jewilh cuftom of increafing Abfalom’s
tomb; for the laft things are eafteft retained, becaufe people repeat them
ofteneft, and imitate them molt.

• They rubbed the principal Hone of each of thofe heaps all over with oil, as a facrifice of
libation; by which means they often became black, and flippery j as Arnoblus relates
of the idols of his time; Lubricatum lapidem, et ex olivi unguine fordidatum, tanquam
ineflet vis prefens, adulabar. Armb. Advtrf. Gent.

f Laban and 1 acob railed a heap of ftones, as a lading monument of their friendly cove¬
nant. And Jacob called the heap GaleeJ , “ the heap of witnefs.” Gen. xxxi. 47.

Though the Cheerake do not aow collefl the bones of their dead, yet they continue to
raife and multiply heaps of ftones, as monuments for their dead; this the Englilh army remem¬
bers well, for in the year 1760, having marched about two miles along a wood-land
path, beyond a hill where they had feen a couple of theft reputed tombs, at the war-
woman’s creek, they received fo fltarp a defeat by the Cheerake, that another fuch mull have
inevitably ruined the whole army.

Many of thofe heaps are to be feen, in all parts of the continent of North-America:
where ftones could not be had, they raifed large hillocks or mounds of earth, wherein they
carefully depoftted the bones of their dead, which were placed either in earthen veflels, or
in a Ample kind of arks, or chefts. Although the Mohawk Indians may be reafonably ex¬
pected to have loft their primitive cuftoms, by reafon of their great intercourfe with foreign¬
ers, yet I was told by a gentleman of diftinguilhed char after, that they obferve the aforefaid
fepulchral cuftom to this day, infomuch, that when they are performing that kindred-duty,
they cry out, Mabcom TagujnXamtneb, “Grandfather, I cover you.”

Bb

ARGU-

186 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the yews.

ARGUMENT XX.

The Jewifh records tell us, that their women Mourned for the lofs of
their deceafed hufbands, and were reckoned vile, by the civil law, if they
married in the fpace, at lead, of ten months after their death. In refem-
blance to that cuftom, all the Indian widows, by an eftablifhed drift penal
law, mourn for the lofs of their deceafed hufbands-, and among fome tribes
for the fpace of three or four years. But the Eaft-India Pagans forced
the widow, to fit on a pile of wood, and hold the body of her hufband
on her knees, to be confumed together in the flames.

The Mufkohge widows are obliged to live a chafte. Tingle life, for the tedi¬
ous fpace of four years ; and the Chikkafah women, for the term of three,
at the rifque of the law of adultery being executed againft the recufants.
Every evening, and at the very dawn of day, for the firft year of her
widowhood, fhe is obliged through the fear of Ihame to lament her lofs, in
very intenfe audible (trains. As Tab ah fignifies weeping, lamenting, mourn¬
ing, or Ah God ; and as the widows, and others, in their grief bewail and
cry To He {la) Wab, Tobetaweb ; Tobttaba Tohetabe, the origin is fuflici-
ently clear. For the Hebrews reckoned it fo great an evil to die unla-
mented, like Jchoiakim, Jer. xxii. i8. “ who had none to fay, Ah, my
brother! Ah, my filler! Ah, my Lord! Ah, his glory !” that it is one
of the four judgments they pray againft, and it is called the burial of an
afs. With them, burying fignified lamenting, and fo the Indian widows
direft their mournful cries to the author of life and death, infert a plural
note in the facred name, and again tranfpole the latter, through an inva¬
riable religious principle, to prevent a prophanation.

Their law compels the widow, through the long term of her weeds,
to refrain all public company and diverfions, at the penalty of an adul-
3 - terefs j

The women's time and manner of mourning for their hu/bands. 187

terete ; and likewifc to go with flowing hair, without the privilege of oil td
anoint it. The neareft kinfmen of the deceafed hulband, keep a very
watchful eye over her conduit, in this refpcft. The place of interment is
alfo calculated to wake the widow’s grief, for he is intombed in the houfe
under her bed. And if he was a War-leader, Ihe is obliged for the firft
moon, to fit in the day-time under his mourning war-pole *, which is decked
With all his martial trophies, and muft be heard to cry with bewailing
notes. But none of them are fond of that month’s fuppofed religious duty,
it chills, or fweats, and waftes them fo exceedingly -, for they are allowed
no (hade, Or ftielter. This lharp rigid cuftom excites the women to
honour the marriage-flats, and keeps them obliging to their hulbands, by
anticipating the vifible lharp difficulties which they muft undergo for fo
great a loft. The three or four years monaftic life, which Ihe lives after
his death, makes it her intereft to ftrive by every means, to keep in his
lamp of life, be it ever fo dull and worth left; if Ihe is able to fhed tears
on fuch an occafion, they often proceed from fclf-love. We can generally
diflinguilh between the widow’s natural mourning voice, and her tuneful
laboured ftrain. She doth' not fo much bewail his death, as her own re-
cliife Kfey and hateful ftate of celibacy; which to many of them, is as
uneligibte, as it- was to the Hebrew ladies, who preferred death before the
unmarried ftate, and reckoned their virginity a bewailable condition, like
the ftate of the dead.

The Chokfah Indians hire mourners to magnify the merit arid lote of
their dead, and if their tears cannot be feen to flow, their fhrill voices will'
be heard to cry, which anfwers the folemn chorus a great deal better f.
However, they are no way churlilh of their tears, for I have feen them, on
the occafion; pour them out, like fountains of water: but after having

* The war-pole is a (mail peeled tree painted red, the top and boughs ent off Ihort: it is
fixt in the ground oppofite to his door, and all his implements of war, are hung on the Ihort
boughs of it, till they rot.

+ Jer. ix. 17. 19. Thus faith the Lord of hofts: confider ye, and call for the mourning-
women, that they may conic ; and fend for cunning women, that they may come. For a
voice of wailing is heard dut df Zion, How are we fpoiled ? we are greatly confounded, be-
caufc we have forfaken the land, becaufe our dwellings hare call us out.

B b 2

thus

j 88 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

thus tired themfelves, they might with equal propriety have alked by-
ftanders in the manner of the native Irifh, Ara ci fuar bafs—“ And who is
dead ?”

"fhey formerly dreffed their heads with black mo6 on thofe folemn occa-
fions •, and the ground adjacent to the place of interment, they now beat with,
laurel-bulhes, the women having their hair dilheveled: the firft of which,
cuftoms feems to be derived from the Hebrew cuftom of wearing fack-
cloth at their funeral folemnicies, and on other occafions, when they afflifted
their fouls before God—to which divine writ qften alludes, in defcribing.
the blacknefs of the ikies: and the laurel being an ever-green, is a lively
emblem of the eternity of the human foul, and the pleafant ftate it enters
into after death, according to antiquity. They beat it on the ground, to.
cap refs their ftiarp pungent grief; and, perhaps, to imitate the Hebrew.’
trumpeters for the dead, in order to make as ilrikiog a found as they pof-
fibly can on lb doleful an occafion.

Though the Hebrews had no pofitive precept that obliged the widow to
mourn the death of her huiband, or to continue her widowhood, for any
time •, yet the gravity of their tempers, and their fcrupulous nicety of the
law of purity, introduced the obfervance of thofe modeft and religious,
cuftoms, as firmly under the penalty of ihame, as if they bore the fanftion,
of law +. In imitation of them, the Indians have copied fo exaftly, as
to compel the widow to aft the part of the difconlolate dove, for the
irreparable lo£ of her mate. Very different is the cuftom of other na¬
tions:— the Africans, when any of their head-men die, kill all their
/laves, their friends that were deareft to them, and all their wives whom:
they loved, belt, that they may accompany and ferve them, in the other,
world, which is a moft diabolical Ammonitilh facrifice of human blood.
The Eaft-India widows may refufe to be burned on their hufbands funeral
piles, with impunity, if they become proftitutes, or public women to fing
and dance at marriages, or on other occafions of rejoicing. How fuperior

t Theodofius tells os, Lib. i. Legum de fecundis nuptiis, that women were infamous,
by the civil law, who married a fecond time before a year, or at leak ten months were

The Jkrvhihg brother ratfes feed to the deceafed. 189

is the virtuous cuftom of the favage Americans, concerning female cbaf-
tity during the time of their widowhood ?

The Indian women mourn three moons, for the death of any female of
their own family or tribe. During that time, they are not to anoint, or
tie up their hair; neither is the hulband of the deceafed allowed, when
the offices of nature do not call him, to go out of the houfe, much left
to join any company: and in that time of mourning he often lies among
the allies. The time being expired, the female mourners meet in the even¬
ing of the beginning of the fourth moon, at the houfe where their female
relation is intombed, and ftay there till morning, when the neareft furviving
old kinfwoman crops their fore-locks pretty ffiort. This they call Eio Inta-
riaah , “ the women have mourned the appointed time.” Ebo fignifies “ a
woman,” btta “ fi'nilhed by divine appointment,” Aa “ moving” or walk¬
ing, and Ah, “ their note of grief, forrow, or mourning:” the name ex-
prefles, and the cuftom is a vifible certificate of, their having mourned the-
appointed time for their dead. When they have eaten and drank together,,
they return home by fun-rife, and thus finilh their folemn Yab-ab,.

ARGUMENT XXI:.

The furviving brother, By the Mofaic law, was to Raise Seed- to a d£-
ceafed brother who left a widow childlefs, to perpetuate his name and family,.
andinherit his goods and'eftate, or be degraded : and, if the iflue he begat
was a male child, it aflumed the name of the deceafed; The Indian cuftom •
looks the very fame way; yet it is in this as in their law of blood—the:
eWeft brother can redeem.

Although a widow is bound, by a drift penal law, to mourn the death)
of her hulband for the fpllbe of three or four years j. yet, if (he be known to
lament her Jofs with a fincere heart, for the fpace of a year, and her cir-
cumftances of living are fo ftrait as to need a change of her ftation—and.
the elder brother of her deceafed hulband lies with her, Ihe is thereby ex-
7 cmpted:

190 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

empted from the law of mourning, has a liberty to tie up her hair, anoint
and paint herfelf in the fame manner as the Hebrew widow, who was
refufed by the furviving brother of her deceafed hulband, became free to
marry whom (he pleafed.

The warm-conftitutioned young widows keep their eye fo intent on this
mild beneficent law, that they frequently treat their elder brothers-in-law
with fpirituous liquors till they intoxicate them, and thereby decoy them to
make free, and fo put themfelves out of the reach of that mortifying law.
If they are difappointed, as it fometimes happens, they fall on the men, call¬
ing them Hoobuk Wakfe, or Skoobale , HaJJe kroopba, “ Eunuchus prasputio
detefto, et pene brevi the moft degrading of epithets. Similar to the
Hebrew ladies, who on the brother’s refufal looled his lhoe from his
foot, and fpit in his face, (Deut. xxv. 9.); and as feme of the Rabbies
tell us they made water in the (hoe, and threw it with defpite in his face, and
then readily went to bed to any of his kinfmen, or moft diftant relations of
the fame line that (he liked beft -, as Ruth married Boaz. Jofephus, to pal¬
liate the fail, fays (he only beat him with the lhoe over his face. Da¬
vid probably alludes to this cuftom, Pfal. lx. 8. “ Over Edom I will
caft out my lhoe,” or detraftion.

Either by corruption, or mifunderftanding that family-kiffing cuftom of
the Hebrews, the corrupt. Cheerake marry both mother and daughter at
once •, though, unlefs in this inftance, they and all the other favage na¬
tions obferve the degrees of confanguinity in a drifter manner than the
Hebrews, or even the chriftian world. The Cheerake do not marry their
firft or fecond coufins; and it is very obfervable, that the whole tribe
reckon a friend in the fame rank with a brother, both with regard to mar¬
riage, and any other affair in focial life. This feems to evince that they
copied from the (table and tender friendlhip between Jonathan and David ■,
cfpecially as the Hebrews had legal, or adopted, as well as natural bro¬
thers.

ARGU-

‘Their method of giving names.

»9<

ARGUMENT XXII.

When the Ifraelites gave names to their children or others, they chofe
fuch appellatives as fuited belt with their circumftances, and the times.
This cuftom was as early as the Patriarchal age; for we find Abram was
changed into Abraham; Sarai into Sarah, Jacob into Ifrael;—and after¬
wards Olhea, Jofhua, Solomon, Jedidiah, &c. &c. This cuftom is a Hand¬
ing rule with the Indians, and I never obferved the leaft deviation from it.
They give their children names, expreilive of their tempers, outward ap¬
pearances, and other various circumftances ; a male child, they will call
Choola, “ the fox j” and a female, Pakable, “ the bloftom, or flower.”
The father and mother of the former are called Choollingge, and ChoolUJhke ,
“ the father and mother of the fox i” in like manner, thole of the latter, Pa-
kahlingge , and Pakahlijhke -, for Ittgge fignifics the father, and IJhke the mother.
In private life they are fo termed till that child dies •, but after that period
they are called by the name of their next furviving child, or if they have
none, by their own name: and it is not known they ever mention the name
of the child that is extinft. They only faintly allude to it, faying, “ the one
that is dead,” to prevent new grief, as they had before mourned the appointed
time. They who have no children of their own, adopt others, and affume their
names, in the manner already mentioned. This was of divine appoint¬
ment, to comfort the barren, and was analogous to the kindred method of
counting with the Hebrews : inftead of furnames, they ufcd in their genea¬
logies the name of the father, and prefixed Ben, “ a fon,” to the perfon’s name.
And thus the Greeks, in early times. No nation ufed furnames, except the
Romans after their league and union with the Sabines. And they did not
introduce that cuftom, with the leaft view of diftinguilhing their families,
but as a politic feal to their ftrong compaft of friendfhip ; for as the
Romans prefixed Sabine names to their own, the Sabines took Roman
names in like manner. A fpecimen of the Indian war-names, will illu-
ftrate this argument with more clearnefs.

They

,i£2 On the defccnt of the American Indians from the fetes.

They crown a warrior, who has killed a diftinguilhed enemy, with the
■name, Tanafabe, “ the buffalo-killer Tanaja is a buffalo, compounded of
Tab, the divine eflenee, and Afa, “ there, or here is,” as formerly men¬
tioned : and Abe is their conftant war-period, fignifying, by their rhetori¬
cal figure “ one who 'kills another.” It fignifies allb to murder a per¬
fon, or beat him feverely. This proper name figniSes, the profperous killer,
«or deftroyer of the buffalo, or ftrong man—it cannot poflibly be derived
from mx, Abeb, which fignifies good-will, brotherly love, or tender affec¬
tion •, but from tox, Abele, grief, forrow, or mourning, as an effect of
that hoftile aft.

Anoab, with the Indians, is the name of a rambling perfon, or one of
•unfettled refidence, and Anoab ookproo, is literally a bad rambling perfon,
■“ a renagadoe likewife Anoah ookproo'Jhto makes it a fuperlative, on ac¬
count of the abbreviation of IJhtv, one of the divine names which they fub-
join. In like manner, Noabe is the war-name of a perfon who kills a rambling
enemy, or one detached as a fcout, fpy, or the like. It confifts of the
patriarchal 'name, Noah, and Abe, “ to kill,” according to the Hebrew
original, of which it is a contraftion, to make it fmoother, and to indulge
a rapidity of expreffion. There is fo ftrong an agreement between this
•compounded proper name, and two ancient Hebrew proper names, that
-it difplays the greateft affinity between the warfaring red and white He¬
brews •, efpecially as it fo clearly alludes to the divine hiftory of the firft
homicide, and the words are adapted to their proper fignifications.

Becaufe the Choktah did not till lately trim their hair, the other tribes
through contempt of their cuftom, called them Pas' Pbaraab, “ long hair,”
and they in return, gave them the contemptuous name, Skoobale'Jhto, « very
naked, or bare heads,” compounded of Skooba, Ale, and IJhto: the fame
-word, or Wakfsjhto, with Hajfeb prefixed, expreffes the penem praputio dctello
which fhews they lately retained a glimmering, though confufed notion of
the law of circumcifion, and the prohibition of not polling their hair.
They call a crow, Pbarab ; and Pas’pbaraabe is the proper name of a
•warrior, who killed an enemy wearing long hair. It is a triple compound
from Pajcb, “ the hair of one’s head, Pbaraab « long,” and Abe, “ kil-
iing,” which they croud together. They likewife fay, their tongue is not

Pbarakio,

Their method of giving names. 193

Pbarakto, “ forked,” thereby alluding probably to the formerly-hateful
name of the Egyptian kings. Pharaoh.

When the Indians diltinguilh themfelves in war, their names are always
compounded,—drawn from certain roots fuitable to their intention, and
exprefiive of the charafters of the perfons, fo that their names joined to¬
gether, often convey a clear and diftind idea of feveral circumftances—as
of the time and place, where the battle was fought, of the number and
rank of their captives, and the (lain. The following is a fpecimen: one
initiating in war-titles, is called Tannip-Abe, “ a killer of the enemy—he
who kills a perfon carrying a kettle, is crowned Soonak-Abe-Tujka •, the firft
word fignifies a kettle, and the laft a warrior. Mingg&Jhtabc fignifies “ one
who killed a very great chieftain,” compounded of Mingo, AJh, and Abe.
Pae-Majhtabe, is, one in the way of war-gradation, or below the nigheft in
rank, Pae fignifying “ far off.” Tijsbu Majhtabe is the name of a warrior
who kills the war-chieftain’s waiter carrying the beloved ark. Shulajhum-
majhtabe , the name of the late Choktah great war-leader, our firm friend
Rei-Jhoes , is compounded of Sbulafs', “ Maccafeenes,” or deer Ikin-fhoes,
Humma , “ red,” AJh, “ the divine fires” T is inferted for the fake of a
bold found, or to exprefs the multiplicity of the exploits he performed,
m killing the enemy. In treating of their language, I obferved, they end
their proper names with a vowel, and contraft their war-titles, to give more
fmoothnefs, and a rapidity of exprefiion. Etebk is the general name they
give to any female creature, but by adding their conftant war-period to
it, it fignifies “ weary j” as Chetebkabe, “ you are wearyto make it a
fuperlative, they fay Cbetehkabe-0 : or Chetebkabejhto.

The Cheerake call a dull ftalking fellow, Sooreb, “ the turkey-buz¬
zard,” and one of an ill temper, Kana Cbeejieche, “ the wafp,” or a perfon
refembling the dangerous Canaan rabbit, being compounded of the abbre¬
viated name of Canaan, and Cbeejlo “ a rabbit,” which the Ifraelites were
not to meddle with. One of our chief traders, who was very loquacious,
they called Sekakee, “ the grafs-hopper,” derived from Sekako, “ to make
hade.” To one of a hoarfe voice, they gave the name, Kanoova, “ the ‘
bull-frog.”

The

194 On the de/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

The Katahbi Indians call their chief old interpreter, on account of
his obfcene language, Emate-Atikke, “ the fmock-interpreter.” The “ ra¬
ven," is one of the Cheerake favourite war-names. Carolina and Georgia
remember Quorinnab, “ the raven,” of Huwbafe-town •, he was one of the
moft daring warriors of the whole nation, and by far the moll intelligent,
and this name, or war-appellative, admirably fuited his well-known cha¬
mber. Though with all the Indian nations, tire raven is deemed an
impure bird, yet they have a kind of facred regard to it, whether from
the traditional knowledge of Noah’s employing it while he was in the ark,
or from that bird having fed Elijah in the wildernefs (as lome fuppofe)
cannot be determined ; however with our fuppofed red Hebrews the name,
points out an indefatigable, keen, fuccefsful warrior.

ARGUMENT XXIII.

Although other refemblances of the Indian rites and cuftoms to thofe of
the Hebrews, might be pointed out; not to feem tedious, I proceed to the
laft argument of the origin of the Indian Americans, which lhall be from:
their own traditions,—from the accounts of our Englifh writers—and from
the teftimonies which the Spanilh writers have given, concerning the pri¬
mitive inhabitants of Peru and Mexico.

The Indian tradition fays, that their forefathers in very remote ages
came from a far diftant country, where all the people were of one colour; and
that in procefs of time they moved eaftward, to their prefent fettlements.
So that, what fome of our writers have afferted is not juft, who fay the In¬
dians affirm, that there were originally three different tribes in thofe countries,,
when the fupreme chieftain to encourage fwift running, propofed a propor¬
tionable reward of diftinflion to each, as they excelled in fpeed in paf-
fing a certain diftant river j as, that the firft ftiould be polilhed white—
the fecond red—and the third black; which took place accordingly after
the race was over. This ftory fprung from the innovating fuperftitious

ignorance.

'95

Their own traditions of their origin. I

ignorance of the popilh priefts, to the fouth-weft of us. Our 6wn In¬
dian tradition is literal, and not allegorical, and ought to be received; be-
caufe people who have been long feparated from the reft of mankind, muft
know their own traditions the beft, and could not be deceived in fo material,
and frequently repeated an event.. Though they have been disjoined
through different interefts, time immemorial; yet, (the rambling tribes of
northern Indians excepted) they aver that they came over the Miffiflppi
from the weftward, before they arrived at their prefent fettlements. This
we fee verified by the weftern old towns they have left behind them ; and
by the fituation of their old beloved towns, or places of refuge, lying
about a weft courle from each different nation. Such places in Judea
were chiefly built in the moft remote parts of the country; and the Indians
deem thofe only as beloved towns, where they firft fettled.

This tradition is corroborated by a current report of the old Chikkafah In¬
dians to our traders, “ that about forty years fince, there came from Mexico
fome of the old Chikkafah nation, (the Chichemicas, according to the Spa-
nifli accounts) in queft of their brethren, as far north as the Aquahpah
nation, about 130 miles above the Nachee old towns, on the fouth fide
of the Miffifippi -, but through French policy, they were either killed, or
fent back, fo as to prevent their opening a brotherly ititercourfe, as they
had propofed.” And it is worthy of notice, that the Mulkohgeh cave,
out of which one of their politicians perfuaded them their anceftors for¬
merly afcended to their prefent terreftrial abode, lies in the Nanne Hamgeh
old town, inhabited by the Miflifippi-Nachee Indians, which is one of the
moft weftern parts of their old-inhabited country.

I hope I (hall be excufed in reciting their ancient oral tradition, from fa¬
ther to fon to the prefent time. They fay, that one of their cunning old re¬
ligious men finding that religion did not always thrive beft, relolved with
himfelf to impofe on his friends credulity, and alter in fome refpects their
•old tradition ■, he accordingly pretended to have held for a long time a con¬
tinual intercourfe with their fubterranean progenitors in a cave, above 1600
miles to the weftward of Charles-town in South-Carolina, adjoining to the
old Chikkafah trading path •, this people were then poffeft of every thing con¬
venient for human life, and he promifed them fully to fupply their wants,
C c 2 in

196 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

in a conftant manner, without fweating in the field ; the mod trouble-
fome of all things to manly brifk warriors. He infilled, that all who were
defirous of fo natural and beneficial a correfpondence, fhould contribute
large prefents, to be delivered on the embafly, to their brethren—terrae

filii,_to clear the old chain of friendlhip from the rult it had contracted,

through the fault of cankering time. He accordingly received prefents
from mod of the people, to deliver them to their beloved fubterranean
kindred: but it Teems, they Ihut up the mouth of the cave, and detained
him there in order to be purified.

The old wade towns of the Chikkafah lie to the wed and fouth-wed,
from where they have lived fince the time we fird opened a trade with them ;
on which courfe they formerly went to war over the Miflifippi, becaufe they
knew it bed, and had difputes with the natives of thofe parts, when they
fird came from thence. Wifdom directed them then to connive at fome
injuries on account of their itinerant camp of women and children •, for
their,tradition fays, it confided of ten thoufand men, befides women and
children, when they came from the wed, and palled over the Miflifippi.
The fine breed of running wood horfes they brought with them, were the
prefent Mexican or Spanifli barbs. They alfo aver, that their ancedors cut
off, and defpoiled the greated part of a caravan, loaded with gold and filver;
but the carriage of it proved fo troublefome to them, that they threw it
into a river where it could not benefit the enemy.

If we join together thefe circumdances, it utterly dedroys the fine
Peruvian and Mexican temples of the fun, &c.—which the Spaniards have
lavilhly painted from their own fruitful imaginations, to Ihew their own
capacity of writing, though at the expence of truth; and to amufe the
gazing diflant world, and lefien our furprife at the fea of reputed hea-
thenilh blood, which their avaricious tempers, and flaming fuperditious
zeal, prompted them to fpill.

If any Englilh reader have patience to fearch the extraordinary volumes
of the Spanilh writers, or even thofe of his catholic majedy’s chief hido-
riographer, he will not only find a wild portrait, but a finking refemblance and
unity of the civil and martial cuftoms, the religious rites, and traditions, of the

ancient

The tejlimonies of Spantjh writers. 197

ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, and the North-Americans, according to
the manner of their morefque paintings : likewife, the very national name of.
the primitive Chikkafah, which they ftile Chichemicas, and whom they
repute to have been the firft inhabitants of Mexico. However, I lay little
ftrefs upon Spanilh teftimonies, for time and ocular proof have convinced
us of the laboured faliliood of almoft all their hiftorical narrations concern*
ing every curious thing relative to South America. They were fo di¬
verted of thofe principles inherent to honeft enquirers after truth, that
they have recorded themfelves to be a tribe of prejudiced bigots, driving
to aggrandife the Mahometan valour of about nine hundred fpurious ca¬
tholic chriftians, under the patronage of their favourite faint, as perfons by
whom heaven defigned to extirpate thofe two great nominal empires of
pretended cannibals. They found it convenient to blacken the natives with
ill names, and report them to their demi-god the mufti of Rome, as facri-
ficing every day, a prodigious multitude of human victims to numerous
idol-gods.

The learned world is already fully acquainted with the falfehood of
their hirtories-, reafon and later difcoveries condemn them. Many years
have elapfed, fince l firft entered into Indian life, befides a good ac¬
quaintance with feveral fouthern Indians, who were converfant with the
Mexican Indian rites and cuftoms; and it is incontrovertible, that the
Spanilh monks andjefuits in defcribing the language, religion, and cuf¬
toms, of the ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, were both unwilling, and
incapable to perform fo arduous an undertaking, with j uftice and truth.
They did not converfe with the natives as friends, but defpifed, hated,
and murdered them, for the fake of their gold and filver: and to excufe
their own ignorance, and molt (hocking, cool, premeditated murders, they
artfully defcribed them as an abominable fwarm of idolatrous cannibals
offering human facrifices to their various falfe deities, and eating of
the unnatural viftims. Neverthelefs, from their own partial accounts, we
can trace a near agreement between the civil and martial cuftoms, the
religious worfliip, traditions, drefs, ornaments, and other particulars of the
ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, and thofe of the prefent North-Ame-
tican Indians.

Acofti

198 On the tie/cent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Acofta tells us, that though the Mexicans have no proper name for God,
yet they allow a fupreme omnipotence and providence : his capacity was
not fufficient to difcover the former; however, the latter agrees with the
prefent religious opinion of the Englifh-American Indians, of an univerfal
divine wifdom and government. The want of a friendly intercourfe between
our northern and fouthern Indians, has in length of time occafloned fonie of
the former a little to corrupt, or alter the name of the felf-exiftent creator
and preferver of .the univerfe, as they repeat it in their religious invocations,
YO He a Ah. But with what fliow of truth, confident with the above
conceflion, can Acoda defcribe the Mexicans as offering human facrificea
alfo to devils, and greedily feading on the vidtims !

We are told alfo that the Nauatalcas believe, they dwelt in another re¬
gion before they fettled in Mexico; that they wandered eighty years in
fearch of it, through a drift obedience to their gods, who ordered them to
go in qued of new lands, that had fuch particular figns ;—that they punc¬
tually obeyed the divine mandate, and by that means found out, and fettled
the fertile country of Mexico. This account correfponds with the Chik-
kafah tradition of fettling in their prefent fuppofed holy land, and feems to
have been derived from a compound tradition of Aaron’s rod, and the light
or divine prefence with the Ifraelites in the wildernefs, when they marched.
And probably the Mexican number of years, was originally forty, indead
of eighty.

Lopez de Gomara tells us, that the Mexicans were fo devout, as to offer
to the fun and earth, a fmall quantity of every kind of meat and drink,
Before any of themfelves tailed it; and that they facrificed part of their
corn, fruits, &c. in like manner; otherwife, they were deemed haters of,
and contemned by their gods. Is not this a confufed Spanilh pifture of
the Jewilh daily facrifice, and fird-fruit-offering, as formerly obferved ?
and which, as we have feen, are now offered up by the northern Indians, to
the bountiful giver, the fupreme holy fpirit of fire, whom they invoke in
that mod facred and awful fong, YO He Wah, and loudly afcribe to him
Hallelu-Yah , for his continued goodnefs to them.

The Spanilh writers fay, that when Cortes approached Mexico, Mon¬
tezuma lhut himfelf up, and continued for the fpace of eight days in
3 prayers

>99

The tejiimonies of Spanijh writers.

prayers and falling: but to blacken him, and excufe their own diabolical
butcheries, they affert he offered human facrifices at the lame time to abo¬
minable and frightful idols. But the facrifices with more juft ice may be
. attributed to the Spaniards than to the Mexicans—as their narratives alfo
are a facrifice of truth itfelf. Montezuma and his people’s fallings, prayers,
&cc. were doubtlefs the fame with thofe of the northern Indians, who on
particular occafions, by feparate fallings, ablutions, purgations, &c. feck
to fanftify themfelves, and fo avert the ill effefts of the divine anger, and
regain the favour of the deity.

They write, that the Mexicans offered to one of their gods, a facrifice
compounded of fome of all the feeds of their country, grinded fine, and
mixed with the blood of children, and of facrificed virgins; that they
plucked out the hearts of thofe vidtims, and offered them as firft-fruits
to the idol-, and that the warriors imagined, the lealt relic of the facrifice
would preferve them from danger.. They foon afterwards tell us of a tem¬
ple of a quadrangular form, called 1‘cttcalli, “ God’s houfe,” and Cbacal-
mua , “ a minilter of holy things,” who belonged to it. They likewife
fpeak of “ the hearth of God,—the continual fire of God,—the holy ark,”
&c. If we cut off the jefuitical paintings of the unnatural facrifice, the
rell is confonant to what hath been obferved, concerning the North Ame¬
rican Indians. And it is very obvious, the North and South American
Indians are alike of vindiflive tempers, putting molt of their invading
enemies that fall into their power to the fiery torture. The Spaniards-
looking upon themfelves as divine embaffadors, under the imperial fig-
nature of the Holy Lord of Rome, were exceflively enraged againft
the fimple native South-Americans, becaufe they tortured forty of their
captivated people by reprifal, devoting them to the fire, and ate their
hearts, according to the univerfal war-cuftom of our northern Indians, on
the like occafion.. The Spanilh terror and hatred on this account, their
pride, religious bigotry, and an utter ignorance of the Indian dialedls,
rites, and cuftoms, excited them thus to delineate the Mexicans; —
and equally hard names, and unjuft charges, the bloody members of
their diabolical inquifition ufed to bellow on thofe pretended here¬
tics, whom they gave over to be tortured and burnt by the fecular
power. But it is worthy of notice, the Spanilh writers acknowledge that
the Mexicans brought their human facrifices from the oppofite lea; and
did not offer, up any of their own people: fo that this was but the fame

200 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

as our North-American Indians ftill pra&ife, when they devote their cap¬
tives to death •, which is ufhered in with ablutions, and other methods of
fanftifying themfelves, as have been particularly defcribed; and they per¬
form the folemnity with finging the facred triumphal fong, with beating of
the drum, dances, and various forts of rejoicings, through gratitude to the
beneficent and divine author of fuccefs againft their common enemy. By
the defcription of the Portuguefe writers, the Indian-Brafilian method of
war, and of torturing their devoted captives, very nearly refembles the
cuftoms of our Indians.

Acofta, according to his ufual ignorance of the Indian cuftoms, fays,
that fome in Mexico undcrftood one another by whittling, on which
he attempts to be witty—but notwithftanding the great contempt and
furprife of the Spaniards at thofe Indians who whittled as they went;
this whittle was no other than the war-whoop, or a very loud and fhrili
lhout, denoting death, or good or bad news, or bringing in captives from
war. The fame writer fays they had three kinds of knighthood, with
which they honoured the beft foldiers; the chief of which was the red
ribbons the next the lion, or tyger-knight; and the meaneft was the
grey knight. He might with as much truth, have added the turky-buz-
zard knight, the fun-blind bat knight, and the night-owl knight. His ac¬
count of the various gradations of the Indian war-titles,’ (hews the unfkil-
'fulnefs of that voluminous writer, even in the firft principles of his Indian
fubjeft, and how far we ought to rely on his marvellous works.

The accounts the Spaniards formerly gave us of Florida and its inhabitants,
are. written in the fame romantic drain with thofe of Mexico. Ramufius tells
us, that Alvaro Nunes and his company reported the Apalahchee Indians
to be fuch a gigantic people, as to carry bows, thick as a man’s arm, and of
eleven or twelve fp3ns long, (hooting with proportional force and diredlion.
It feems they lived then a fober and temperate life, for Morgues fays, one of
their kings was three hundred years old ; though Laudon reckons him only
two hundred and fifty : and Morgues allures us, he faw this young Indian
Methufalah’s father, who was fifty years older than his fon, and tha° each of
them was likely by the common courfe of nature to live thirty or forty
years longer, although they had feen their fifth generation. Since that
time they have fo exceedingly degenerated, in height of body, largenefs of
3 defenfive

The tejlimonies of Spanijh •writers. 201

defenfive arms, and ante-deluvian longevity, that I am afraid, thefe early
and extraordinary writers would fcarcely know the defcendants of thofe
Apalahche Anakim, if they now faw them. They are at prefent the fame
as their dwarfifh red neighbours ; fie tranfit gloria mundi.

Nicholaus Challufius paints Florida full of winged ferpents; he affirms
he faw one there, and that the old natives were very careful to get its head,
on account of fome fuppofed fuperftition. Ferdinando Soto tells us, that
when he entered Florida, he found a Spaniard, (J. Ortez) whom the na¬
tives had captivated during the fpace of twelve, years, confequently he mutt
have gained in that time, fufficient (kill in their dialeft to give a true inter¬
pretation and account—and he aflures us, that Ucita, the Lord of the
place, made that fellow, “ Temple-keeper,” to prevent the night-wolves
from carrying away the dead corpfe •, that the natives worlhipped the devil,
and facrificed to him the life and blood of moft of their captives;—who
fpoke with them face to face, and ordered them to bring thofe offerings
to quench his burning third. And we are told by Benzo, that when Soto
died, the good-natured Cacique ordered two likely young Indians to be
killed according to cuftom, to wait on him where he was gone.—But the
Chriftian Spaniards denied his death, and affured them he was the fon of
God, and therefore could not die. If we except the laft fentence, which
bears a juft analogy to the preemption and arrogance of the popifh priefts
and hiftorians, time and opportunity have fully convinced us, that
all the reft is calumny and fallhood. It mull be confefied however,
that none, even of the Spanilh monks and friars, have gone fo deep
in the marvellous, as our own fagacious David Ingram—he allures us,
“ that he not only heard of very furprifing animals in thefe parts of the
world, but faw elephants, horfes, and ftrange wild animals twice as big
as our fpecies of horfes, formed like a grey-hound in their hinder parts j
he faw likewife bulls with ears like hounds; and another furprifing fpecies
of quadrupeds bigger than bears, without head or neck, but nature had fixed
their eyes and mouths more fecurely in their breads.” At the end of his
monftrous ideal productions, he juftly introduces the devil in the rear, fome-
times affirming the likenefs of a dog ; at other times the fhape of a calf,
&c. Although this legendary writer has tranfcended the bounds of truth,
yet where he is not emulous of outdoing the jefuitical romances, it would re¬
quire a good knowledge of America to confute him in many particulars:

D d this

2 02 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

this ihews how little the learned world can rely on American narrators j'
and that the origin of the Indian Americans, is yet to be traced in a quite
different path to what any of thofe hyperbolical, or wild conjectural writers'
have prefcribed.

The Spaniards have given us many fine polifhed Indian orations, but they
were certainly fabricated at Madrid ■, the Indians have no fuch ideas, or
methods of fpeech, as they pretend to have copied from a faithful interpre¬
tation on the fpot: however, they have religioufly fupported thofe monkilh
dreams, and which are the. chief bafis of their Mexican and Peruvian
treaties.

According to them, the Mexican arms was an eagle on a tunal or
Hone, with a bird in his talons,—which may look at the armorial enfign-
of Dan. And they fay, the Mexicans worfhipped Vitzliputzli, who pro-
mifed them a land exceedingly plenty in riches, and all other good
things •, on which account they fet off in queft of the divine promife, four
of their priefts carrying their idol in a coffer of reeds, to whom he com¬
municated his oracles, giving them laws at the fame, time—teaching them'
the ceremonies and facrifices they lbould obferve ; and dire&ed them when,
to march, and when to flay in camp, &c. So much, might have been col¬
lected from them by figns, and other exprefiive indications ; for we are well
allured, that the remote uncorrupted part of the Mexicans ftill retain the fame
notions as our northern Indians, with regard to their arriving at, and fettling
in their refpedtive countries, living under a theocratic government, and hav¬
ing the divine war-ark, as a mod facred feal of fuccefs to the beloved peo¬
ple, againft their treacherous enemies, if they ftri&ly obferve the law of
purity, while they accompany it. This alone, without any reflection on-
the reft, is a good glafs to (hew us, that the South and North American
Indians are twin-born brothers ; though the Spanilh clergy, by their dark,
but fruitful inventions, have fet them at a prodigious variance.

Acofta tells us, that the Peruvians held a very extraordinary feaft called Ttte,
—which they prepared themfelves for, by falling two days, not accompany¬
ing with their wives, nor eating falt-meat or garlic, nor drinking Chica dur¬
ing that period—that they affembled all together in one place, and did not
allow any ftranger or beaft to approach them ; that they had clothes and

ornaments

“The tejiimonies of Spanijh writers. 203

ornaments which they wore, only at that great feftival; that they went
filently and fedately in proceffion, with their heads veil’d, and drums beat¬
ing—and thus continued one day and night j but the next day they danced
and feafted ; and for two days fucceffively, their prayers and praifes were
heard. This is another ftrong pifkure of the rites of the Indian North-
Americans, during the time of their great feftival, to atone for fin; and
with a little amendment, would exhibit a furprifing analogy of fundry
eftential rites and cuftoms of the Northern and South American Indians,
which equally glance at the Mofaic fyftem.

Lerius tells us, that he was prefent at the triennial feaft of the Carib-
bians, where a multitude of men, women, and children, were aflembled;
that they foon divided themfelves into three orders, apart from each other, the
women and children being ftriftly ordered to ftay within, and to attend
diligently to the finging: that the men fung in one houfe. He, He, He,
while the others in their leparate houfes, anfwered by a repetition of the
feme notes: that having thus continued a quarter of an hour, they all
danced in three different rings, each with rattles, &c. And the natives of
Sir Francis Drake’s New Albion, were defirous of crowning him Hio , or
Ohio, a name well known in North America, and hath an evident relation to-
the great beloved name. Had the former been endued with a proper ca¬
pacity, and given a fuitable attention to the Indian general law of purity,
he would probably have defcribed them finging To-Hc Wab, Hallelu-Tab,
Sec. after the prefent manner of our North -American red natives; and as
giving proper.names to perfons and things from a religious principle, to
exprefs the relation they bore to the fecred four-lettered name.

Thefe writers report alfo, that the Mexicans facrificed to the idol Haloc,
* their God of water,” to give them feafonable rains for their crops : and
they tell us, that the high-priefl was anointed with holy oil, and drefled
with pontifical ornaments, peculiar to himfelf, when he officiated in his
fecred function; that he was fworn to maintain their religion, rights, and
liberties, according to their ancient law ; and to caufe the fun to fhine, and
all their vegetables to be properly refrefhed with gentle fhowers. If we
throw down the “ monkilh idol god of water,” we here find a ftrong parity
of religious cuftoms and ceremonies, between the pretended prophets, and
high-priefts of the prefent northern Indians, and the ancient Mexicans.

D d 2 Acofta

204 the defbent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Acofta tells us, that the Peruvians acknowledged a fupreme God* and'
author of all things, whom they called Viracocba , and worfliipped as the
chief of all the gods, and honoured when they looked at the heavens or
any of the celeftial orbs; that for want of a proper name for that divine
fpirit of the univerfe, they, after the Mexican manner, defcribed him by.
his attributes,—as Pacbacamac, “ the Creator of heaven and earth.” But r
though he hath defcribed them poflefled of thefe ftrong ideas of God*
and to have dedicated a facred houfe to the great firft caufe, bearing his.
divine prolific name; ye; the Spanifh priefthood have at the fame time,
painted them as worfhipping the devil in the very fame temple. Here
and there a truth may be found in their writings, but if we except the
well-defigned performance of Don Antonio de Ulloa, one duodecimo vo¬
lume would have contained all the accounts of any curious importance*
which the Spaniards have exhibited to the learned world, concerning the
genuine rites and cuftoms, of the ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, ever,
fince the feifure of thefe countries* and the horrid murders committed on
the inhabitants.

But among all the Spanifh friars, Hierommo Roman was the greateft cham¬
pion in hyperbolical writing. He has produced three volumes concern¬
ing the Indian American rites and ceremonies 5—he ftretches very far in his;
fecond part of the commonwealths of the world; but when he gets to.
Peru and Mexico, the diftance of thofe remote regions enables him to ex¬
ceed himfelf: beyond all difpute, the other writers of his black frater¬
nity, are only younger brethren, when compared to him in the marvellous.
His, is the chief of all the Spanifh romances of Peru and Mexico.

He fays, the Indian natives, from Florida to Panama, had little religion
or policy •, and yet he affirms a few pages after, that they believed in one-
true, immortal and invifible God, reigning in heaven, called Yocabu-
uagnamaorocoti -, and is fo kind as to allow them images, priefts, and popes*
their high-prieft being called papa in that language. The origin of
images among them, is accounted for in a dialogue he gives us, between
a fhaking tree and one of the Indian priefts: after a great deal of dif,
courfe, the tree ordered the prieft to cut it down, and taught him how to
make images thereof, and ereft a temple. The tree was obeyed, and
every year their votaries folemnized the dedication. The good man has

laboured

Tie teftimonies of Spanifh writers. zap

laboured very hard for the images, and ought to have fuitable applaufe for
fo ufeful an invention ; as it (hews the univerfal opinion of mankind, con¬
cerning idols and images. With regard to that long conje&ural divine name,
by which they expreffed the one true God, there is not the lead room to
doubt, that the South-Americans had the divine name, Yohewah , in as great-
purity as thofe of the north, efpecially, as they were at the fountain head ;
adding to it occafionally fome other ftrong compound words..

He fays alfb, that the metropolis of Cholola had as many temples as there
were days in the year •, and that one of them was the mod famous in the
world, the bads of the fpire being as broad as a .man could (hoot with »
crofs bow, and the fpire itfelf three miles high. The temples which the
holy man fpeaks of, feem to have been only the dwelling-houfes of dran-
gers, who incorporated with the natives, differing a little in their forrrr of
drudture, according to the ufual cultom of our northern Indians: and his
religious principles not allowing him to go near the reputed (hambles of the
devil, much lefs to enter the fuppofed territories of hell, he has done
pretty well by them, in-allowing them golden funs and moons—vedry-
keepers, &c. The badnefs of his optic indruments, if joined with the
fuppofed dimnefs of his fight, may plead in excufe for the fpiral alti¬
tude, which he fixes at 15,480 feet; for from what we know of the northern
Indians, we ought to drike off the three fird figures of its height, and the
remaining 40 is very likely to have been the jud height of the fpire, alias
the red-painted, great, war-pale.

The fame writer tells us, that the Peruvian pontifical office belonged to
the elded fon of the king, or fome chief lord of the country : and that it
devolved by fucceflion. But he anoints him afcer a very folemn manner,
with an ointment which lie carefully mixes with the blood of circumcifed
infants. This pried of war dealing fo much in blood himfelf, without
doubt, fufpefted them of the like; though at the fame time no Indian
pried will either (hed, or touch human blood: but that they formerly,
eircumcifed, may with great probability be allowed to the holy man.

The temples of Peru were- built on high grounds, or tops of hills, he
(ays, and were furrounded with four circular mounds of earth, the one riling
3 gradually

206 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

gradually above the other, from the outermoft circle •, and that the temple
flood in the center of the inclofed ground, built in a quadrangular form,
having altars, &c. He has officioufly obtruded the fun into it; per¬
haps, becaufe he thought it dark within. He deferibes another religious
houfe, on the eaftern part of that great inclofure, facing the rifing fun, to
which they afeended by fix fteps, where, in the hollow of a thick wall,
lay the image of the fun, &c. This thick wall having an hollow part with¬
in it, was no other than their fanftum fan&orum, conformably to what I
obferved, concerning the pretended holieft place of the Mufkohge In¬
dians. Any one who is well acquainted with the language, rites, and
cuftoms of the North-American Indians, can fee with a glance when thefe
tnonkifh writers ftumble on a truth, or ramble at large.

Acofta fays, that the Mexi.cans obferved their chief feaft in the month of
May, and that the nuns two days before mixed a fufficient quantity of
beets with honey, and made an image of it. He trims up the idol very
genteelly, and places it on an azure-coloured chair, every way becoming
the fcarlet-coloured pope. He foon after introduces flutes, drums, cornets,
and trumpets, to celebrate the feaft of Eupania Vitzliputxli, as he thinks
proper to term it: on account of the nuns, he gives them Pania, “ fe¬
minine bread,” inftead of the mafeuline Pants ; which he makes his nuns
to diftribute at this love-feaft, to the young men, in large pieces refem-
bling great bones. When they receive them, they religioufly lay them
down at the feaft of the idol, and call them the flelh and bones of the God
Vitzliputxli.

Then he brings in the priefts vailed, with garlands on their heads, and
chains of flowers about their necks, each of them Aridity obferving their
place : if the inquifitive reader fhould defire to know how he dil'covered
thofe garlands and flowery chains •, (efpecially as their heads were covered,
and they are fecret in their religious ceremonies) I muft inform him, that
Acofta wrought a kind of cotton, or woollen cloth for them, much finer
than (ilk, through which he might have cafily feen them—befides, fuch a
religious drefs gave him a better opportunity of hanging a crofs, and a
firing of beads afterwards round their necks.

Next

’The tejiimonies of Spanijh writers. 207

Next to thofe religious men, he ulhers in a fine company of gods and
goddefies, in imagery, dreffed like the others, the people paying them
divine worlhip •, this without doubt, is intended to fupport the popilh faint-
worlhip. Then he makes them fing, and dance round the pafte, and ufe
feveral other ceremonies. And when the eyes are tired with viewing thofe
wild circlings, he folemnly blefles, and confecrates thofe morfels of pafte,
and thus makes them the real flelh and bones of the idol, which the
people honour as gods. When he has ended his feaft of tranfubftan-
tiation, he fets his facrificers to work, and orders them to kill and facrifice
more men than at any other feftival,—as he thinks proper to make this
a greater carnival than any of the reft.

When he comes to finilh his bloody facrifices, he orders the young,
men and women into two rows, direftly facing each other, to dance
and fing by the drums, in praife of the feaft and the god ; and he
fets the oldeft and the greateft men to anfwer the fong, and dance
around them, in a great circle. This with a little alteration, refembles
the cuftom of the northern Indians. He fays, that all the inhabitants of
the city and country came to this great feaft,—that it was deemed facri-
legious in any perfon to eat of the honeyed pafte, on this great feftival-
day, or to drink water, till the afternoon ; and that they earneftly advifed
thofe, who had the ufe of reafon, to abftain from water till the after¬
noon, and carefully concealed it from the children during the time
of this ceremony. But, at the end of the feaft, he makes the priefts
and ancients of the temple to break the image of pafte and coniecrated
rolls, into many pieces, and give them to the people by the way of
facrament, according to the ftrifteft rules of order, from the greateft and
eldeft, to the youngeft and leaft; men, women and children: and he fays,
they received it with bitter tears, great reverence, and a very awful fear,
with other ftrong figns of devotion, faying at the fame time,-—“they did
not eat the flelh and bones of their God.” He adds, that they who
had fick people at home, demanded a piece of the faid pafte, and car¬
ried and gave it to them, with the moft profound reverence and awful
adoration ; that all who partook of this propitiating facrifice, were obliged
to give a part of the feed of Maiz, of which- the idol was made; and
then at the end of the folemnity, a prieft of high authority preached to
3, the

208 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jem.

the people on their laws and ceremonies, with a commanding voice, and
exprefftve gefturesj and thus difmiffed the affembly.

Well may Acofta blame the devil in the manner he does, for introducing
among the Mexicans, fo near a refemblance of the popilh fuperftitions and
idolatry. But whether (hall we blame or pity this writer, for obfcuring
the truth with a confufed heap of falfhoods ? The above is however a curi¬
ous Spanifh picture of the Mexican paffover, or annual expiation of fins,
and of their fecond paffover in favour of their ftck people,—and of paying
their tythes,—according to fimilar cuftoms of our North-American Indians.
We are now fufficiently informed of the rites and cuftoms of the remote,
and uncorrupt South-Americans, by the Miflifippi Indians, who have a
communication with them, both in peace and war.

Ribault Laudon defcribing the yearly feftival of the Floridans, fays,
that the day before it began, the women fweeped out a great circuit of
ground, where it was obferved with folemnity s—that when the main body
of the people entered the holy ground, they all placed themfelves in good
order, flood up painted, and decked in their beft apparel, when three Ia-
voas, or priefts, with different paintings and geftures followed them, play¬
ing on mufical inftruments, and finging with a folemn voice—the others
anfwering them: that when they made three circles in this manner, the
men ran off to the woods, and the women ftaid weeping behind, cutting their
arms with mufcle-fhells, and throwing the blood towards the fun ; and that
when the men returned, the three days feaft was finifhed. This is another
confufed Spanifh draught of the Floridan paffover, or feaft of love ; and
of their univerfal method of bleeding themfelves after much exercife, which
according to the Spanifh plan, they offered up to the fun. From thefe
different writers, it is plain that where the Indians have not been corrupted
by foreigners, their cuftoms and religious worlhip are nearly alike; and
alfo that every different tribe, or nation of Indians, ufes fuch-like divine
proper name, and awful founds, as Yah-Wab , Hetovab, &c. being tranf-
pofitions of the divine effential name, as our northern Indians often re¬
peat in their religious dances. As the found of Yah-wab jarred in Lau-
don’s ear, he called it Java, in refemblance to the Syriac and Greek me¬
thod of expreffing the tetra-grammaton, from which Galatinus impofed it
upon us, calling it Jeboviab, inftead of Yobewab.

The

72 >t tejlimoniet of Spanijh writers- 209

The Spanilh writers tell us, that the Mexicans had a feaft, and month,
which they called Hueitozolti, when the maiz was ripe s every man at that
time bringing an handful to be offered at the temple, with a kind of drink,
called Utuli, made oat of the fame grain.—But they foon deck up an idpi
with roles, garlands, and flowers, and defcribe them as offering to it fweet
gums, &c. Then they fpeedily drefs a woman with the apparel of either
the god, or goddefs, of fait, which mull: be to feafon the human Sacrifices,
as they depifture them according to their own difpoficions. But they foon
change the fcene, and bring in the god of gain, in a rich temple dedicated
to him, where the merchants apart facrifice vaft numbers of purchafed cap¬
tives. It often chagrines an inquifitive and impartial reader to trace the
contradictions, and chimerical inventions, of thofe afpiring bigoted writers;
■who fpeak of what they did not underftand, only by figns, and a few
chance words. The difceming reader can eafily perceive them from
what hath been already faid, and muft know that this Spanilh mountain
in labour, is only the Indian firft fruit-offering, according to the ufoge
-of our North-American Indians.

It is to be lamented that writers will not keep to matters of fa£t: Some
•of our own hiftorians have defcribed the Mohawks as cannibals, and con¬
tinually hunting after man’s flelh; with equal truth Diodorus Siculus,
Strabo, and others report, that in Britain there were formerly Anthropo¬
phagi, ■“ man-eaters.”

Garcillafib de La Vega, another Spanilh rornancer, fays, that the Peru¬
vian Ihepherds worlhipped the ftar called Lyra, as they imagined it pre-
ferved their flocks: but he ought firft to have fupplied them with flocks,
for they had none except a kind of wild fheep, that kept in the moun¬
tains, and which are of fo fetid afmell, that no creature is fond to ap¬
proach them.

The fame afpiring fictitious writer tells us, the Peruvians worlhipped the
Creator of the world, whom he is pleafed to call Firacocba Pacbuyacba
ka bic: any perfon who is in the leaft acquainted with the rapid flowing
manner of the Indian American dialeCts, will conclude from the wild ter¬
mination that the former is not the Peruvian divine name. Next to this
great Creator of the univerfe, he affirms, they worlhipped the fun ; and
•E-e next

210 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

next to the folar orb, they deified and worthipped thunder, believing it
proceeded from a man in heaven, who had power over the rain, hail, and
thunder, and every thing in the atrial regions •, and that they offered up facri-
fices to it, but none to the univerfal Creator. To prefer the effedl to the ac¬
knowledged prime caufe, is contrary to the common reafon of mankind,
who adore that objeft which they efteem either the mod beneficent, or the
mod powerful.

Monfieur Le Page Du Pratz tells us, he lived feven years among the
Nachee Indians, about one hundred leagues up the Miflifippi from New-
Orleans ; and in order to emulate the Spanifh romances of the Indians, in
his performance, he affirms their women are double-breaded, which he par¬
ticularly deferibes: and then following the Spanifh copy, he allures us, the
highed rank of their nobles is called funs, and that they only attend the
facred and eternal fire •, which he doubtlefs mentioned, merely to introduce
his convex lens, by which he tells us with a great air of confidence, he
gained much edeem among them, as by the gift of it, he enabled them to
continue their holy fire, if it fhould cafually be near extingtiifhed. According
to him, the Chikkafah tongue was the court language of the Miflifippi In¬
dians, and that it had not the letter R .—The very reverfe of which is the
truth ; for the French and all their red favages were at condant war with
them, becaufe of their firm connexion with the Englifh, and hated
their national name; and as to the language, they could not converfe with
them, as their dialefts are fo different from each other. I recited a long
firing of his well-known dories to a body of gentlemen, well {killed in
the languages, rites, and cudoms of our Ead and Wed-Florida Indians,
and they agreed that the Koran did not differ more widely from the divine
oracles, than the accounts of this writer from the genuine cudoms of the
Indian Americans.

The Spanifh artids have furnifhed the favage war-chieftain, or their Em¬
peror Montezuma, with very fpacious and beautiful palaces, one of which
they raifed on pillars of finejafper-, and another wrought with exquifite
fkill out of marble, jafper, and other valuable flones, with veins glidering
like rubies,—they have finifhed the roof with equal fkill, compol'ed of car¬
ved and painted cyprefs, cedar, and pine-trees, without any kind of nails.
They fhould have furnifhed fome of the chambers with fuitable pavilions

and

The tejlimonks of Spanijh writers. s 11

and beds of ftate; but the bedding and furniture in our northern Indian
huts, is the fame with what they were pleafed to deferibe, in the wonder¬
ful Mexican palaces. In this they have not done juftice to the grand red
monarch, whom they raifed up, (with his 1000 women, or 3000 accord¬
ing to fomc,) only to magnify the Spanifli power by overthrowing him.

Montezuma in an oration to his people, at the arrival of the Spaniards,
is faid by Malvendar, to have perfuaded his people to yield to the power
of his Catholic Majefty’s arms, for their own fore-fathers were ftrangers
in that land, and brought there long before that period in a fleet. The
emperor, who they pretend bore fuch univerfal arbitrary fway, is raifed by
their pens, from the ufual rank of a war chieftain, to his imperial great-
nefs: But defpotic power is death to their ears, as it is deftru&ive of their
darling liberty, and reputed theocratic government; they have no name
for a fubjeft, but fay, “ the people.” In order to carry on the felf-
flattering war-romance, they began the epocha of that great fiftitious em¬
pire, in the time of the ambitious and formidable Montezuma, that their
handful of heaven-favoured popifh faints might have the more honour in
deftroying it: had they deferibed it of a long continuance, they forefaw
that the world would deteft the fallacy, as foon as they learned the lan¬
guage of the pretended empire; correfpondent to which, our own great
Emperor Powhatan of Virginia, was foon dethroned. We are diffidently
informed by the rambling Mifliflppi Indians, that Motehjhuma is a com¬
mon high war-name of the South-American leaders •, and which the fate
he is faid to receive, ftrongly corroborates. Our Indians urge with a great
deal of vehemence, that as every one is promoted only by public virtue,
and has his equals in civil and martial affairs, thofe Spanifli books that have
mentioned red emperors, and great empires in America, ought to be burnt
in fome of the remaining old years accurfed fire. And this Indian fixed
opinion feems to be fufficiently confirmed by the fituation of Mexico, as it
is only about 315 miles from fouth to north ; and narrower than 200 miles
along the northern coaft—and lies between TIafcala and Mechoacan, to the
weft of the former, and eaft of the latter, whence the Mexicans were con¬
tinually harrafled by thofe lurking fwift-footed favages, who could fecure
their retreat home, in the fpace of two or three days. When we confider
the vicinity of thofe two inimical dates to the pretended puifiant empire of
Mexico, which might have eafily crufhed them to pieces, with her for-
E e 2 midable

21 1 On the defcent of the Amtrkan Indians from the Jews.

midable armies, in order to feeure the lives of the fubjefls, and credit
of the ftate, we may fafely venture to affirm, from the long train of
eircumdances already exhibited, that the Spanilh Peruvian and Mexican
empires are without the lead foundation in nature; and that the Spaniards
defeated the tribe of Mexico (properly called Mtchiko) See. chiefly, by
the help of their red allies.

In their deferiptions of South-America and its native inhabitants, they
treat largely of heaven, hell, and purgatory; lions, falamanders, maids of
honour, maids of penanee, and their abbefles •, men whipping themfelves
with cords •, idols, mattins, monadic vows, cloiders of young men, with a
prodigious group of other popiffi inventions: and we mud not forget to
do juflice to thofe indudrious and fagacious obfervers, who difeovered
two golgothas, or towers made of human fkulls, plaidered with lime.
Acoda tells us, that Andrew de Topia aflured him, he and Gonfola de
Vimbria reckoned one hundred and thirty-fix thoufand human fkulls in
them. The temple dedicated to the air, is likewife worthy of being men¬
tioned, as they afiert in the Aronged manner, that five thoufand priefls
ferved condantly in it, and obliged every one Who entered, to bring fome
human facrifice •, that the walls of it were an inch thick, and the floor a
foot deep, with black, dry, clotted blood. If connected herewith, we re-
fleft, that befide this blood-thirdy god of the air, the Spaniards have repre-
fented them as worlhipping a multitude of idol gods and goddefles, (no lefs
than two thoufand according to Lopez de Gomara) and facrificing to them
ehiefly human viftims •, arid that the friars are reported by a Spanilh bilhop
of Mexico, in his letters of the year 1532, to have broken down twenty
thoufand idols, and defolated five hundred idol temples, where the natives
facrificed every year more than twenty thoufand hearts of boys and girls •,
and that if the noblemen were burnt to afhes, they killed their cooks, but¬
lers, chaplains, and dwarfs*—and hada plenty of targets, maces, and en-
figns hurled into their funeral piles : this terrible (laughter, points out to
us clearly from their OWn accounts, that thefe authors either gave the world
a continued chain of falfehoods,. or thofe facrifices, and human maflacres

* With regard to Indian dwarfs, I never heard of, or faw any in the northern nations,
but one in Ilhtatoe, a northern town of the middle part of the Cheerake country,—and ho
was a great beloved man.

they

The tejlimomes of Spanijb writers . 213.

they boaftingly tell us of, would have, long before they came, utterly de¬
populated Peru and Mexico.

I (hall now quote a little of their lefs romantic defcription, to confirm'
the account I have given concerning the genuine rites, and cuftoms, o£
our North-American Indians.

The ornaments of the Indians of South and North America, were for¬
merly, and dill are alike, without the lead difference, except in value.
Thofe fuperficial writers agree, that the men and women of Peru and
Mexico wore golden ear-rings, and bracelets around their necks and wrifts;
that the men wore rings of the fame metal in their note, marked their bo¬
dies with various figures, painted their faces red, and the women their
cheeks, which feems to have been a. very early and general cudom. They
tell us, that the coronation of the Indian kings, and indallment of
their nobles, was folemnized with comedies, banquets, lights. See. and
that no plebeians were allowed to ferve before their kings; they mult
be knights, or noblemen. All thofe founding high titles are only a con¬
futed pidture of the general method of the Indians in crowning their war¬
riors, performing their war-dances, and edeeming thofe fellows as old
women, who never attended the reputed holy ark with fuccefs for the
beloved brethren.

Don Antonio de Ulloa informs us, that fome of the South-Americai*
natives cot the lobes of their ears, and for a confiderable time, fadened
fmall weights to them, in order to lengthen them; that others cut holes in
their upper and under lips; through the cartilege of the nofe, their chins,,
and jaws, and either hung or thrud through them, fuch things as they mod
fancied, which alfo agrees with the ancient- cudoms of our Northern In¬
dians.

Emanuel de Moraes and Acoda affirm, that the Brafilians marry in their
own family, or tribe. And Jo. de Laet. fays, they call their uncles and
aunts, “ fathers and mothers,” which is a cudom of the Hebrews, and
®f all our North-American Indians : and he allures us they mourn very
much for their dead; and that their clothes are like thofe of the early
Jews.,

Ulloa--

214 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Ulloa aflures us, that the South American Indians have no other me¬
thod of weaving carpets, quilts, and other ftuffs, but to count the
threads one by one, when they are palling the woof; — that they fpin
cotton and linnen, as their chief manufadlure, and paint their cloth with
the images of men, beads, birds, fillies, trees, flowers, &c. and that each
of thofe webs was adapted to one certain ufe, without being cur, and
that their patience was equal to fo arduous a talk. According to this
defcription, there is not the lead difparity between the ancient North-Ame-
rican method of manufacturing, and that of the South Americans.

Acoda writes, that the clothes of the South-American Indians are fhaped
like thofe of the ancient Jews, being a fquare little cloak, and a little coat:
and the Rev. Mr. Thorowgood, anno 1650, obferves, that this is a proof
of fome weight in Ihewing their original defcent •, efpecially to fuch who
pay a deference to Seneca’s parallel arguments of the Spaniards having
fettled Italy •, for the old mode of drefs is univerfally alike, among the In¬
dian Americans.

Laet. in his defcription of America, and Efcarbotus, allure us, they often
heard the South American Indians to repeat the facred word Halleluiah ,
which made them admire how they fird attained it. And Malvenda
fays, that the natives of St. Michael had tomb-dones, which the Spaniards
digged up, with feveral ancient Hebrew charafters upon them, as,
“ Why is God gone away ?” And, “ He is dead, God knows.” Had
his curiofity induced him to tranfcribe the epitaph, it would have
given more fatisfaflion •, for, as they yet repeat the divine efiential name.
To He ( ta ) IVah, fo as not to prophane it, when they mourn for their
dead, it is probable, they could write or engrave it, after the like manner,
when they fird arrived on this main continent.

We are told, that the South American Indians have a firm hope of the
refurreflion of their bodies, at a certain period of time; and that on this
account they bury their mod valuable treafures with their dead, as well as
the mod ufeful conveniencies for future domedic life, fuch as their bows
and arrows : And when they faw the Spaniards digging up their graves for
gold and filver, they requeded them to forbear fcattering the bones of their
5 dead

The tefiimonies of French writers, G?c. 215

dead in that manner, left it Ihould prevent their being raifed and united
again *.

Monfieur de Poutrincourt fays, that, when the Canada Indians faluted
him, they faid Ho Ho Ho ; but as we are well affured, they exprefs To He
a Ab, in the time of their feftivals and other rejoicings, we have reafon to
conclude he made a very material miftake in fetting down the Indian folemn
blcfling, or invocation. He likewife tells us, that the Indian women will
not marry on the graves of their hulbands, i. e. “ foon after their deceafe,”
—but wait a long time before they even think of a fecond hulband. That;
if the hulband was killed, they would neither enter into a fecond marriage,
nor eat flelh, till his blood had been revenged : and that after child-bear¬
ing, they obferve the Mofaic law of purification, (hutting up themfelves
from their hulbands, for the fpace of forty days.

Peter Martyr writes, that the Indian widow married the brother of her
deceafed hulband, according to the Mofaic law : and he fays, the Indians
worlhip that God who created the fun, moon, and all invifible things, and
who gives them every thing that is good. He affirms the Indian pricfts had
chambers in the temple, according to the cuftom of the Ifraelites, by divine
appointment, as 1 Chron. ix. 26, 27. And that there were certain places
in it, which none but their priefts could enter, i. e. “ the holieft.” And
Key fays alfo, they have in fome parts of America, an exadl form of king,
prieft, and prophet, as was formerly in Canaan.

Robert Williams, the firft Engliffiman in New-England, who is faid to
have learned the Indian language, in order to convert the natives, believed
them to be.Jews: and he allures us, that their tradition records that their
anceftors came from the fouth-weft, and that they return there at death j
that their women feparate themfelves from the reft of the people at certain
periods ; and that their language bore fome affinity to the Hebrew.

Baron Lahontan writes, that the Indian women of Canada purify them¬
felves after travail; thirty days for a male child—and forty for a female:
that during the faid time, they live apart from their hulband—that the un¬
married brother of the deceafed hulband marries the widow, lix months

Vid.Ceuto ad Solbi. Benz. St Hill. Peruv.

after

a i5 On the defcewt of the American Indians from the Je-ws.

after his deceafe-, and that the outftanding parties for war, addrefs the
great fpirit every day till they fee off, with facrifices, longs, and fealling.

We are alfo told, that the men in Mexico fat down, and the women
ftood, when they made water, which is an univerfal cuftom among our
North-American Indians. Their primitive modefty, and indulgence to
their women, feem to have introduced this Angular cuftom, after the
manner of the ancient Mauritanians, on account of their fcantinefs of
clothing, as I formerly obferved.

Lerius tells us, that the Indians of Brafil walh themfelves ten times a
day; and that the hulbands have no matrimonial intercoufe with their wives,
till their children are either weaned, or grown pretty hardy ; which is fimi-
lar to the cuftom of thefe northern Indians, and that of the Ifraelites, as
Hof. i. S. He fays, if a Peruvian child was weaned before its time, it was
called Ain/co , “ a baftard.” And that if a Brafilian wounds another, he is
wounded in the fame part of the body, with equal punilhment; limb for
limb, or life for life, according to the Mofaic law -,—which, within our own
memory, thefe Indian nations obferved fo eagerly, that if a boy (hooting
at birds, accidentally wounded another, though out of fight, with his ar¬
row ever fo (lightly, he, or any of his family, wounded him after the very
fame manner which is a very ftriking analogy with the Jewilh retaliation.
He likewife tells us, that their Sachems, or Emperors, were the heads of
their church: and according to Laet. Defcript. America, the Peruvians
had one temple confecrated to the creator of the world} befides four
other religious places, in refemblance of the Jewifli fynagogues. And Mal-
venda fays, the American idols were mitred, as Aaron was. He likewife
affirms, as doth Acofta, that the natives obferved a year of jubilee, ac¬
cording to the ufage of the Ifraelites.

Benzo fays, that the men and women incline very much to dancing; and
the women often by themfelves, according to the manner of the Hebrew
nation-, as in i Sam. xxi. n. efpecially after gaining a vi< 5 lory over
the enemy, as in Judg. xi. 34. — xxi. 21. 23, and t Sam. xviii. 6, 7,
Acofta tells us, that though adultery is deemed by them a capital crime,
yet they at the fame time fet little value by virginity, and it feems to have
been a bewailable condition, in Judea. He likewife fays, they waffi their

The tejiimonies of different writers. 217

new born infants, in refemblance of the Mofaic law •, as Ezek. xvi. 9. And
the Spaniards fay, that the priefta of Mexico, were anointed from head
to foot; that they conftantly wore their hair, till they were fuperannuated v
and that the hulband did not lie with his wife, for two years after (he was
delivered. Our northern Indians imitate the firft cuftom •, though in the fe-
cond, they refemble that of the heathen by polling or trimming their hair •,
and with regard to the third, they always deep apart from their wives, for
the greater part of a year, after delivery.

By the Spanilh authorities, the Peruvians and Mexicans were Polyga-
mifts, but they had one principal wife, to whom they were married with
certain folemnities; and murder, adultery, theft, and inceft, were punilhed
with death.—But there was an exception in fome places, with regard to in-
ceftuous intercourfes : which is intirely confonant to the ufage of the nor¬
thern Indians. For as to inceft, the Cheerake marry both mother and
daughter, or two lifters •, but they all obferve the prohibited laws of
confanguinity, in the drifted manner. They tell us, that when the
priefts offered facrifice, they abftained from women and ftrong drink, and
faded feveral days, before any great feftival; that all of them buried their
dead in their houfes, or in high places; that when they were forced to bury
in any of the Spanilh church-yards, they frequently ftole the corpfe, and
interred it either in one of their own houfes, or in the mountains; and that
Juan de la Torre took five hundred thoufand Pezoes out of one tomb.
Here is a long train of Ifraelitifh cuftoms: and, if we include the whole,
they exhibit a very ftrong analogy between all the efiential traditions, rites,
cuftoms, &c. of the South and North American Indians ; though the Spa¬
niards mix an innumerable heap of abfurd chimeras, and romantic dreams,
with the plain material truths I have extracted.

I lately perufed the firft volume of the Hiftory of North-America, from
the difcovery thereof by Sylvanus Americanus, printed in New Jerfey,
Anno 1761, from, I believe, the Philadelphia monthly paper—and was
not a little furprifed to find in fuch a ufeful colleftion, the conjeftural,
though perhaps well-intended accounts of the firft adventurers, and fettlers,
in North-America, concerning the natives : and which are laid as the only
bafts for inquifitive writers to trace their origin, inftead of later and more
iubftantial obfervations. Though feveral of thofe early writers were un-
F f doubtedly

118 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

doubtedly fagacious, learned, and candid i yet under the circumftances in
which they wrote, it was impoffible for them to convey to us any true
knowledge of the Indians, more than what they gained by their fenfes, which
mult be fuperficial, and liable to many errors. Their conjectural accounts
ought to have been long fince examined, by fome of that learned body, or
they fliould not have given a fanCtion to them. However, they are lefs
faulty than the Spanifli accounts.

I prefume, enough hath been faid to point out the fimilarity between
the rites and cuftoms of the native American Indians, and thofe of the
Ifraelites.—And that the Indian fyftem is derived from the moral, cere¬
monial, and judicial laws of the Hebrews, though now but a faint copy
of the divine original.—Their religious rites, martial cuftoms, drefs, mufic,
dances, and domeftic forms of life, feem clearly to evince alfo, that they
came to America in early times, before feCts had fprung up among the
Jews, which was foon after their prophets ceafed, and before arts and
fciences had arrived to any perfection ; otherwife, it is likely they would
have retained fome knowledge of them, at leaft where they firft fettled, it
being in a favourable climate, and confequently, they were in a more com¬
pact body, than on this northern part of the American continent.

The South-American natives wanted nothing that could render life
eafy and agreeable: and they had nothing fuperfluous, except gold and
filver. When we confider the fimplicity of the people, and the (kill
they had in collecting a prodigious quantity of treafures, it feems as
if they gained that (kill from their countrymen, and, the Tyrians; who
in the reign of Solomon exceedingly enriched themfelves, in a few voy¬
ages. The conjecture that the aborigines wandered here from captivity,
by the north eaft parts of Afia, over Kamfchatlka, to have their liberty
and religion •, is not fo improbable, as that of their being driven by ftrefs of
weather into the bay of Mexico, from the eaft.

Though a fingle argument of the general fubjeCt, may prove but little,
disjoined from the reft ; yet, according to the true laws of hiftory, and the
beft rules for tracing antiquities, the conclufion is to be drawn from clear
correfponding circumftances united : the force of one branch of the fubjeft
ought to be connected with the others, and then judge by the whole. Such

readers

Conjectures when, and how, America was JirJt fettled.. 2 igc

readers as may diffent from my opinion of the Indian American origin and
defcent, ought to inform us how the natives came here, and by what means
they formed the long chain of rites, cuftoms, &c. fo fimilar to the ufage
of the Hebrew nation, and in general diflimilar to the modes, &c. of the
Pagan world.

Ancient writers do not agree upon any certain place, where the Ophir of
Solomon lay ; it muft certainly be a great diftance from Joppa, for it was
a three years voyage. After the death of Solomon, both the Ifraelites and
Tyrians feem to have utterly difcontinued their trading voyages to that
part of the world. Eufebius and Eupolemus fay, that David fent tO'
Urphe, an ifland in the red fea, and brought much gold into Judea j and
Ortelius reckons this to have been Ophir: though, agreeably to the opinion
of the greater part of the modern literati, he alfo conjeftures Cephala, or
Sophala, to have been the Ophir of Solomon. Junius imagines it was in
Aurea Cherfonefusj Tremellius and Niger are of the fame opinion. But
Vatablus reckons it was Hifpaniola, difcovered, and named fo by Colum¬
bus : yet Poftellus, Phil. Mornay, Arias Montanus, and Goropius, are of
opinion that Peru is the ancient Ophir; fo widely different are their conjec¬
tures. Ancient hiftory is quite filent, concerning America ; which indicates
that it has been time immemorial rent afunder from the African continent*
according to Plato’s Timeus. The north-eaft parts of Afia alfo were
undifcovered, till of late. Many geographers have ftretched Afia and Ame¬
rica fo far, as to join them together: and others have divided thofe two-
quarters of the globe, at a great diftance from each other. But the Ruffians,
after feveral dangerous attempts, have clearly convinced the world, that they
are now divided, and yet have a near communication together, by a nar¬
row ftrait, in which feveral iflands are fituated-, through which there is an
eafy paffage from the north-eaft of Afia to the north-weft of America by
the way of Kamfchatfka; which probably joined to the north-weft point
of America. By this paffage, fuppofing the main continents were fepa-
rated, it was very prafticable for the inhabitants to go to this extenfive
new world ; and afterwards, to have proceeded in quell: of fuitable climates,.
—according to the law of nature, that diredts every creature to fuch climes-
as are moft convenient and agreeable.

Ef si

Hayingr

220 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Having endeavoured to afcertain the origin and defcent of the North-
American Indians—and produced a variety of arguments that incline my
own opinion in favour of their being of Jewifh extraction—which at the
fame time furnilh the public with a more complete Indian System of reli¬
gious rites, civil and martial cuftoms, language, &c. &c. than hath ever
been exhibited, neither disfigured by fable, nor prejudice—I fhall proceed
to give a general hiftorical defcription of thofe Indian nations among whom
I have chiefly refided.

A N

ACCOUNT

O F T H E

KATAHBA, CHEERAKE, MUSKOHGE,
CHOKTAH, and CHIKKASAH NATIONS:

WITH

OCCASIONAL OBSERVATIONS

Their Laws, and the Conduft of our Governors, Soper-
i n t e n da nts. Missionaries, &c. towards them.

D L

.

,•: o h c >: .• h ji ;r a * a :r uai-iA 1: a a
: . ' " !.! : ' • ' •

« T ! Yf

.

_

A N

ACCOUNT

O F T H E

KATAHBA NATION, &c.

I BEGIN with the Katahba, becaufe their country is the moflt conti¬
guous to Charles-Town in South-Carolina. It is placed in our mo¬
dern maps, in 34 degrees north latitude, but proper care hath not yet
been taken to afcertain the limits and fite of any of the Indian nations. It
is bounded on the north and north-eaft, by North-Carolina—on the eaft
and fouth, by South-Carolina—and about weft-fouth-weft by the Cheerake
nation. Their chief fettlement is at the difiance of one hundred and forty-
five miles from the Cheerake, as near as I can compute it by frequent jour-
nies, and about 200 miles diftant from Charles-Town.

Their foil is extremely good ; the climate open and healthy; the water
very clear, and well-tafted. The chief part of the Katahba country, I ob-
ferved during my refidence with them, was fettled clofe on the eaft fide of
a broad purling river, that heads in the great blue ridge of mountains,
and empties itfelf into Santee-river, at Amelia townfhip -, then running eaft-
ward of Charles-town, difgorges itfelf into the Atlantic. The land would
produce any fort of Indian provifions, but, by the continual palling and re¬
paying of the Englifh, between the northern and fouthern colonies, the Ka¬
tahba live perhaps the meaneft of any Indians belonging to the Britifh Ame¬
rican empire. They are alfo fo corrupted by an immoderate ufe of our fpiritu-
ous liquors, and of courie, indolent, that they fcarcely plant any thing fit for
the fupport of human life. South-Carolina has fupplied their wants, either
3 through

224 «<f» •Account of the Katahba Nation.

through a political, or charitable view s which kindnefs, feveral refpcftable
inhabitants in their neighbourhood fay, they abufe in a very high degree •,
for they often deftroy the white people’s live ftock, and even kill their
horfes for mifchief fake.

It was bad policy of a prime magiftrate of South-Carolina, who a little
more than twenty years ago, defired me to endeavour to decoy the Chik-
kafah nation to fettle near New-Windfor, or Savanna town. For the Indians
will not live peaceable with a mixed fociety of people. It is too recent to
need enlarging on, that the Englilh inhabitants were at fundry times forced
by neceffity, to take (helter in New-Windfor and Augulta garrifons, at the
alarm of the cannon, to lave themfelves from about an hundred of the
Chikkafah, who formerly fettled there, by the inticement of our traders :
the two colonies of South-Carolina and Georgia were obliged on this oc-
cafion to fend up a number of troops, either to drive them off, or check
their inference. By fome fatality, they are much addifted to cxceflive
drinking, and fpirituous liquors diftraft them fo exceedingly, that they will
even eat live coals of fire. Harlh ufage alone, will never fubdue an In¬
dian : and too much indulgence is as bad ; for then they would think,
what was an effeft of politic friendlhip, proceeded from a tribute of fear.
We may obferve of them as of the fire, “ it is fafe and ufeful, cherillied at
proper diftance; but if too near us, it becomes dangerous, and will fcorch
if not confume us.”

We are not acquainted with any favages of fo warlike a difpofition,
as the Katahba and the Chikkafah. The fix united northern nations
have been time immemorial engaged in a bitter war with the former,
and the Katahba are now reduced to very few above one hundred fight¬
ing men—the fmall pox, and intemperate drinking, have contributed how¬
ever more than their wars to their great decay. When South-Carolina
was in its infant Hate, they muttered fifteen hundred fighting men: and
they always behaved as faithful and friendly to the Englilh as could
be reafonably expefted, from cunning, fufpicious, and free favages. About
the year 1743, their nation conGlled of almolt 400 warriors, of above
twenty different dialects. I fhall mention a few of the national names
of thofe, who make up this mixed language —the Katahba., is the ftan-
dard, or court-dialcft — the Wat arte, who make up a large town ; Etno\
3 Charah %

An Account of the Katahba Nation. 225

<wah, now Chowan, Canggaree, Nachee, Tamafee, Coofah, &c. Their coun¬
try had an old wafte field of/even miles extent, and feveral others of fmal-
ler dimenfions; which fliews that they were formerly a numerous people,
to cultivate fo much land with their dull ftone-axes, before they had an
opportunity of trading with the Englilh, or allowed others to incorporate
with them.

A :

o g

ACCOUNT

ACCOUNT

OF THE

CHEERAKE NATION, &c.

W E (hall now treat of the Cheerake nation, as the next neighbour
to South-Carolina.

Their national name is derived from Cbee-ra , “ fire,” which is their re¬
puted lower heaven, and hence they call their magi, Cbeera-tahgt , “ men
poflefied of the divine fire. The country lies in about 34 degrees north
latitude, at the diftance of 340 computed miles to the north-weft of Charles¬
town,—140 miles weft-fouth-wcft from the Katahba nation,—and almoft
200 miles to the north of the Mufkohge or Creek country.

They are fettled, nearly in an eaft and weft courfe, about 140 miles in
length from the lower towns where Fort-Prince-George (lands, to the late
unfortunate Fort-Loudon. The natives make two divifions of their coun¬
try, which they term Ayratc, and Ottare, fignifying “ low,” and “ moun¬
tainous.” The former divifion is on the head branches of the beau¬
tiful Savanah river, and the latter on thofe of the eafternmoft river of the
great Miflifippi. Their towns are always clofe to fome river, or creek; as
there the land is commonly very level and fertile, on account of the fre¬
quent wafiiings off the mountains, and the moilture it receives from the
waters, that run through their fields. And fuch a fituation enables them
to perform the ablutions, connected with their religious worlhip.

The eaftern, or lower parts of this country, are (harp and cold to a Ca¬
rolinian in winter, and yet agreeable : but thofe towns that lie among the

Apalahcbe

An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 227

Apalahche mountains, arc very pinching to fuch who are unaccudomed to
a favage life. The ice and fnow continue on the north-fide, till late in the
fpring of the year : however, the natives are well provided for it, by their
bathing and anointing themfelves. This regimen Ihuts up the pores of the
body, and by that means prevents too great a perfpiration •, and an accuf.
tomed exercife of hunting, joined with the former, puts them far above
their climate: they are almoft as impenetrable to cold, as a bar of fteel,
and the fevered cold is no detriment to their hunting.

Formerly, the Cheerake were a very numerous and potent nation. Not
above forty years ago, they had 64 towns and villages, populous, and full
of women and children. According to the computation of the moll intel¬
ligent old traders of that time, they amounted to upwards of fix-tboufand
fighting men ; a prodigious number to have fo clofe on our fettlements,
defended by blue-topped ledges of inacceffible mountains: where, but three
of them can make a fuccefsful campaign, even againft their own watchful
red-colour enemies. But they were then Ample, and peaceable, to what
they are now.

As their wedern, or upper towns, which are fituated among the Apalah-
che-mountains, on the eadern branches of the Milfifippi, were alway en¬
gaged in hot war with the more northern Indians and the middle and lower
towns in conftant hodility with the Mufkohge, till reconciled by a go¬
vernor of South-Carolina for the fake of trade,—feveral of their beft towns,
on the fouthern' branch of Savanah-river, are now forfaken and deftroyed:
as IJhtatohe , Ecbia , Toogalo , &c. and they are brought into a narrower
compafs. At the conclufion of our lad war with them, the traders calcu¬
lated the number of their warriors to con fill of about two thoufand three-
hundred, which is a great diminution for fo fhort a fpace of time: and if
we may conjeflure for futurity, from the circumdances already pad,
there will be few of them alive, after the like revolution of time. Their
towns are dill fcattered wide of each other, becaufe the land will not admit
any other fettlement: it is a rare thing to fee a level traft of four hundred
acres. They are alfo drongly attached to rivers,—all retaining the opi¬
nion of the ancients, that rivers are neceflary to conditute a paradife. Nor
is it only ornamental, but likewife beneficial to them, on account of purify¬
ing themfelves, and alfo for the fervices of common life,—fuch as fithing,
G g 2 fowling,

ill An Account of the Cheerake Nation .

fowling, and killing of deer, which come in the warm feafon, to eat the
faltifh mofs and grafs, which grow on the rocks, and under the furface of
the waters. Their rivers are generally very fhallow, and pleafant to the
eye •* for the land being high, the waters have a quick defcent > they feldom
overflow their banks, unlefs when a heavy rain falls on a deep fnow.
—Then, it is frightful to fee the huge pieces of ice, mixed with a prodigi.
ous torrent of water, rolling down the high mountains, and over the fteep
craggy rocks, fo impetuous, that nothing can refift their force. Two old
traders faw an inftance of this kind, which fwept away great plantations
of oaks and pines, that had their foundation as in the center of the earth.
—It overfet feveral of the higher rocks, where the huge rafts of trees
and ice had flopped up the main channel, and forced itfclf acrofs through
the fmaller hills.

From the hiftorical defcriptions of the Alps, and a perfonal view of
the Cheerake mountains—I conclude the Alps of Italy are much inferior
to feveral of the Cheerake mountains, both m height and rockinefs : the laft
are alfo of a prodigious extent, and frequently impaflable by an enemy.
The Allegeny , or “ great blue ridge,” commonly called the Apalakche-
mountains, are here above a hundred miles broad ; and by the belt ac¬
counts we can get from the Miflifippi Indians, run along between Peru
and Mexico, unlefs where the large rivers occafion a break. They ftretch
alfo all the way from the weft of the northern great lakes, near Hud Ion’s
Bay, and acrofs the Miflifippi, about 250 leagues above New-Orleans.
In the lower and middle parts of this mountainous ragged country, the In¬
dians have a convenient paflable path, by the foot of the mountains : bur
farther in, they are of fuch a prodigious height, that they are forced to wind
from north to fouth, along the rivers and large creeks, to get a fafe paflage:
and the paths are lb fteep in many places, that the horfes often pitch,
and rear an end, to fcramble up. Several of the mountains arc fome
miles from bottom to top, according to the afcent of the paths : and there
are other mountains I have feen from thefe, when out with the Indians
in dear weather, that the eye can but faintly difcern, which therefore
muft be at a furprifmg diftance.

Where the land is capable of cultivation, it would produce any thing
fuitable to the climate. Hemp, and wine-grapes grow there to admiration :

they

An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

22<f

«hey have plenty of the former, and a variety of the latter that grow
fpontaneoufly. If thefe were properly cultivated, there mult be a good
return. I have gathered good hops in the. woods oppofite to Nuquofe,
where our troops were repelled by the Cheerake, inihe year 1760. There
is not a more healthful region under the fun, than this country j for the
air is commonly open and clear, and plenty of whylefome and pleafant
water. I know feveral bold rivers, that fill themfdves in running about
thirty miles, counting by a diredt courfe from their feveral different foun¬
tains, and which are almoft as tranfparent as glafs. The natives live com¬
monly to a great age ■, which is not to be wondered at, when we confider
the high' fituation of their country,—the exercifes they purfue,—the rich-
nel's of the foil that produces plenty for a needful fupport of life, with¬
out fatiguing, or over-heating the planters,—the advantages they receive
from fuch excellent good water, as gufhes out of every hill; and the greaf
additional help by a plain abflcmious life, commonly eating and drinking,
only according to the "felicitations of nature. I have feen ftrangers however,
full of admiration at beholding fo few old people in that country ; and they
have concluded from thence, and reported in the Englifh fettlements, that
it was a fickly fhort-lived region : but we fhould confider, they are always
involved in treacherous wars, and expofed to perpetual dangers, by which,
infirm and declining people generally fall, and the manly old warrior
will not fhrink. And yet many of the peaceable fellows, and women, efpe-
cially in the central towns, fee the grey hairs of their children, long be¬
fore they die; and in every Indian country, there are a great many old
women on the frontiers, perhaps ten times the number of the men of the
fame age and place—which plainly fhews the country to be healthy. Thofe
reach to a great age, who live fecure by the fire-fide, but no climates or
conftitutions can harden the human body, and make it bullet-proof.

The Cheerake country abounds with the be ft herbage, on the richer
parts of the hills and mountains •, and a great variety of valuable herbs is
promifeuoufly Mattered on the lower lands. It is remarkable, that none of
•our botanifts thou Id attempt making any experiments there, notwithftand-
•ing the place invited their attention, and the public had a right to expedt
• fo generous an undertaking from feveral of them; while at the fame
time, they would be recovering, or renewing their health, at a far eafi.er,
•cheaper, and fafer rate, than coafting it to our northern colonies*.

On

2jo An Account of the Cheerakc Nation.

On the level parts of the water-fide, between the hills, there are plenty
of reeds: and, formerly, fuch places abounded with great brakes of win¬
ter-canes._The foliage of which is always green, and hearty food for

horfes and cattle. The traders ufed to raife there ftocks of an hundred,
and a hundred and fifty excellent horfes •, which are commonly of a good
Gze, well-made, hard-hoofed, handfome, ftrong and fit for the faddle or
draught: but a perfon runs too great a rifk to buy any to take them out of
the country, becaufe, every fpring-feafon mod of them make for their na¬
tive range. Before the Indian trade was ruined by our left-handed policy,
and the natives were corrupted by the liberality of our dim-fighted poli¬
ticians, the Cheerake were frank, fincere, and induftrious. Their towns
then, abounded with hogs, poultry, and every thing fufficient for the fup-
port of a reafonable life, which the traders purchafed at an eafy rate, to
their mutual fatisfaflion : and as they kept them bufily employed, and did
not make themfelves too cheap, the Indians bore them good-will and re-
fp«£t—and fuch is the temper of all the red natives.

I will not take upon me to afcertain the real difference between the va¬
lue of the goods they annually purchafed of us, in former and later times *
but, allowing the confumption to be in favour of the laft, what is the
gain of fuch an uncertain trifle,, in comparifon of our charges and Ioffes
by a mercilefs favage war? The orderly and honed fyftem, if refumed,
and wifely purfued, would reform the Indians, and regain their lofl af-
feftions; but that of general licences to mean reprobate pedlars, by which
they are inebriated, and cheated, is pregnant with complicated evils to
the peace and welfare of our valuable iouthern colonies.

As the Cheerake began to have goods at an under price, it tempted them
to be both proud, and lazy. Their women and children are now far
above taking the trouble to raife hogs for the* ugly white people, as the
beautiful red heroes proudly term them. If any do—they are forced to
feed them in fmall penns, or inclofures, through all the crop-feafon, and
chiefly on long purfly, and other wholfome weeds, that their rich fields
abound with. But at the fall of the leaf, the woods are full of hiccory-
nuts, acorns, chefnuts, and the like; which occafions the Indian bacon
to be more ftreaked, firm, and better tailed, than any we meet with in
5 the

An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 231

the Englilh fettlements. Some of the natives are grown fond of horned
cattle, both in the Cheerake and Mufkohge countries,- but moil decline
them, becaufe the fields are not regularly fenced. But almoft every one
hath horfes, from two to a dozen; which makes a confiderable num¬
ber, through their various nations. The Cheerake had a prodigious
number of excellent horfes, at the beginning of their late war with us ;
but pinching hunger forced them to eat the greateft part pf them, in the
time of that unfortunate event. But as all are now become very aftive
and fociable, they will foon fupply themfelves with plenty of the belt fort,
from our fettlements—they are lkilful jockies, and nice in their choice.

From the head of the fouthern branch of Savanah-river, it does not ex¬
ceed half a mile to a head fpring of the Miflifippi-water, that runs through
the middle and upper parts of the Cheerake nation, about a north-weft
courfe,—and joining other rivers, they empty themfelves into the great
Miffifippi. The above fountain, is called “ Herbert’s fpring * and it was
natural for ftrangers to drink thereof, to quench thirft, gratify their cu-
riofity, and have it to fay they had drank of the French waters. Some
of our people, who went only with the view of ftaying a Ihort time, buc
by fome allurement or other, exceeded the time appointed, at their re¬
turn, reported either through merriment or fuperilition, that the fpring had
fuch a natural bewitching quality, that whofoever drank of it, could not
poflibly quit the nation, during the tedious fpace of feven years. All the de¬
bauchees readily fell in with this fuperftitious notion, as an excuie for their
bad method of living, when they had no proper call to ttay in that coun¬
try ; and in procefs of time, it became as received a truth, as any ever
believed to have been fpoken by the delphic oracle. One curfed, becaufe
its enchantment had martfcd his good fortune; another condemned his
weaknefs for drinking down witchcraft, againft his own fecret fufpicions;
one fwore he would never tafte again fuch known dangerous poifon, even
though he (hould be forced to go down to the Miffifippi for water; and
another comforted himfelf, that fo many years out of the feven, were al¬
ready palfed, and wilhed that if ever he tailed it again, though under the
greateft neceffity, he might be confined to the llygian waters. Thofe
who had their minds more inlarged, diverted themfelves much at their coll,

* S« named from an early commiflioner of Indian affairs.

for

2 »2 An Account of tie Cheerakc Nation.

for it was a noted favourite place, on account of the name it went by; and
being a well-fituated and good lpring, there all travellers commonly drank
a bottle of choice: But now, moft of the packhorfe-men, though they
be dry, and alfo matchlefs fons of Bacchus, on the moft prefling invita¬
tions to drink there, would fwear to forfeit facred liquor the better part
of their lives, rather than bafely renew, or confirm the lofs of their liberty,,
which that execrable fountain occaftons.

About the year 1738, the Cheerake received a moft depopulating (hock,
by the fmall pox, which reduced them alrnoft one half, in about a year’s
time: it was conveyed into Charles-town by the Guinea-men, and foon after
among them, by the infected goods. At firft it made flow advances, and
as it was a foreign, and to them a ftrange difeafe, they were fo deficient
in proper (kill, that they alternately applied a regimen of hot and cold
things, to thofe Who were infefted. The old magi and religious phy-
ftcians who were confulted on fo alarming a crifis, reported the ficknefs
had been fent among them, on account of the adulterous intercourfes of
their young married people, who the pad year, had in a moft notorious man¬
ner, violated their ancient laws of marriage in every thicket, and broke down
and polluted many of the honeft neighbours bean-plots, by their heinous
crimes, which would coll a great deal of trouble to purify again. To
thofe flagitious crimes they afcribed the prefent difeafe, as a neceffary effedl
of the divine anger} and indeed the religious men chanced to fuffer the
moft in their fmall fields, as being contiguous to the town-houfe, where
they ufually met at night to dance, when their corn was out of the ftalks j
Upon this pique, they fhewed their prieft-craft. However, it was thought
needful on this occafion, to endeavour to put a flop to the progrefs of
fuch a dangerous difeafe: and as it was believA to be brought on them
by their unlawful copulation in the night dews, it was thought moft practi¬
cable to try to effeCt the cure, under the fame cool element. Immediately,
they ordered the reputed finnerS to lie out of doors, day and night, with
their bread frequently open to the night dews, to cool the fever: they
were likewife afraid, that the difeafed would otherwife pollute the houle,
and by that means, procure all their deaths. Inftead of applying warm
remedies, they at laft in every vifit poured cold water on their naked
breafts, fung their religious myftical fong, To To, See. with a doleful tune,

and

An Account of the Checrake Nation. 233

and (haked a callabalh with the pebble-ftones, over the fick, ufing a
great many frantic geftures, by way of incantantion. From the reputed
caule of the difeafe, we may rationally conclude their phyfical treat¬
ment of it, to be of a true old Jewilh defcentj for as the Ifraelites in¬
voked the deity, or afked a blefling on every thing they undertook, fo all
the Indian Americans feek for it, according on the remaining faint glimpfe
of their tradition.

When they found their theological regimen had not the defired efTeft,
but that the infeflion gained upon them, they held a fecond confulcation,
and deemed it the bell method to fweat their patients, and plunge them into
the river,—which was accordingly done. Their rivers being very cold
in fummer, by reafon of the numberlefs fprings, which pour from the hills
and mountains—and the pores of their bodies being open to receive the
cold, it rulhing in through the whole frame, they immediately expired : upon
which, all the magi and prophetic tribe broke their old confecrated phyfic-
pots, and threw away all the other pretended holy things they had for phyfi¬
cal ufe, imagining they had loft their divine power by being polluted ; and
ihared the common fate of their country. A great many killed themfelves s
for being naturally proud, they are always peeping into their looking glafies,
and are never genteelly dreft, according to their mode, without carrying
one hung over their fhoulders : by which means, feeing themfelves disfi¬
gured, without hope of regaining their former beauty, fome ftiot them¬
felves, others cut their throats, fome ftabbed themfelves with knives, and
others with fharp-pointed canes; many threw themfelves with fullen mad-
nefs into the fire, and there flowly expired, as if they had been utterly
divefted of the native power of feeling pain.

*

1 remember, in Tymafe, one of their towns, about ten miles above the
prefent Fort Prince-George, a great head-warrior, who murdered a white
man thirty miles below Cheekvhee, as was proved by the branded deer-
fkins he produced afterward — when he faw himfelf disfigured by the
fmall pox, he chofe to die, that he might end as he imagined his fiiame.
When his relations knew his defperate defign, they narrowly watched him,
and took away every lharp inftrument from him. When he found he was
balked of his intention, he fretted and faid the worft things their language
H h could

234. -l In Atcount of tie Cfieerake Nation.

could sxprefs, and (hewed all the fymptoms of a defperate perfon enraged at
his difappointment, and forced to live and fee his ignominy; he then
darted himfelf againft the wall, with all- his remaining vigour,— his
ftrength being expended by the force of his friends oppofition, he fell
fullenly on the bed, as if by tltofe violent ftruggles he was overcome, and
■wanted to rrpofe himfelf. His relations through cendernefs, left him to
his reft—but as foon as they went away, he raifed himfelf, and after a.
tedious fearch, finding nothing but a thick and round hoe-helve, he took
the fatal inftrument, and having fixed one end of it in the ground, he
repeatedly threw himfelf. on it, till he forced it down his throat, when
he. immediately expired. — He was buried in filence, without the leaft
jnourning.

Although the Cheerske (hewed fuch little (kill in curing the fmall pox, yet-
they, as well as all other Indian nations, have a great knowledge of fpe-
cific virtues in fimples v applying herbs and plants, on the moll danger¬
ous occafions, and feldom if ever, fail to eftedt a thorough cure, from
the natural bu(h. In the order of nature, every country and climaoc is
bleft with fpecific remedies for the maladies that are connatural to it—Na-
turalifts tell us they have obferved, that when the wild goat’s fight begins
to decay, he rubs his head againft a thorn, and by ibme effluvia, or
virtue in the vegetable, the fight is renewed. Thus the fnake recover*
after biting any creature, by his knowledge of the proper antidote ; and many
bf our arts and forms of living, are imitated by lower ranks of the ani¬
mal creation : the Indians, inftigated by nature, and quickened by expe¬
rience, have difeovered the peculiar properties of vegetables, as far as
needful in their fituation of life. For my own part* I would prefer an old
Indian before any chirurgeon whatfoever,. in curing green wounds by
bullets, arrows, &c. both for the certainty, eafe, and fpeedinefs of cure;
for if thofe parts of the body are not hurt, which arc eflential to the pre-
fervation of life, they cure the wounded in a trice. They bring the pa¬
tient into a. good temperament of body, by a decodfion of proper herbs
and roots, and always enjoin a mod abftemious life: they forbid them wo¬
men, fait, and every kind of flefti-meat, applying mountain allum, as the
chief ingredient.

An Account of the Cheerake Natron. "*35

In the year 1749, I came down, by the invitation of the governor of
South-Carolina, to Charles-Town{ with a body of our friendly Chikkafah
Indians: one of his majefty’s furgeons, that very day we arrived, cut off
the wounded arm of a poor man. On my relating’it to the Indians, they were
Ihocked at the information, and faid, “ The man’s poverty (hould have in¬
duced him to exert the common fkiil of mankind, in fo trifling an hurt ;
efpecially, as fuch a butchery would not only disfigure, but difable the
poor man the reft of his life; that there would have been more humanity
in cutting off the head, than in fuch a barbarous amputation, beoaufe it is
much better for men to die once, than to be always dying, for when the
hand is loft, how can the poor man feed himfelf by his daily labour — By
-the fame rule of phyfic, had he been wounded in his head, our furgeons
Jhould have cut that off, for being unfortunate.” I told the benevolent old
warriors, that the wifdom of our laws had exempted the head from fuch
l'evere treatment, by not fettling a reward for the fevering it, but only fo
much for every joint of the branches of the body, which might be well
enough fpared, without the life; and that this medical treatment was a
•ftrong certificate to recommend the poor man to genteel lodgings, where
numbers belonging to our great canoes, were provided for during life.
They were of opinion however, that fuch brave hardy fellows would ra¬
ther be deemed men, and work for their bread, than be laid aude, not only
as ufelefs animals, but as burdens to the reft of fociety.

I do not remember to have feen or heard of an Indian dying by the bite
of a fnake, when out at war, or a huntingalthough they are then often
bitten by the moft dangerous fnakes—every one carries in his fhot-poucfa,
a piece of the beft fhake-root, fuch as the Seneekn, or fern-fnake-root,—
•or the wild hore-hound, wild plantain, St. Andrew’s crofs, and a variety
of other herbs and roots, which aFe plenty, and well known to thofe
who range the American woods, and are expofed to fuch dangers, and will
-effeft a thorough and fpeedy cure if timely applied. When an Indian per¬
ceives he is ftruck by a ftiake, he immediately chews fome of the root,
•and having fwallowed a fufficient quantity of it, he applies fome to the
wound ; which he repeats as occafion requires, and in proportion to the
poifon the fnake has infufed into the wound. For a fhort lpace of time,
there .is a terrible conflift through all the body, by the jarring qualities of.

14 h a the

336 An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

the burning poifon, and the ftrong antidote •, but the poifon is foon repelled
through the fame channels it entered, and the patient is cured.

The Cheerake mountains look very formidable to a ft'ranger, when he is-
among their valleys, incircled with their prodigious, proud, contending,
tops; they appear as a great mafs of black and blue clouds, interfperfed with,
fome rays of light. But they produce, or contain every thing for health,,
and wealth, and if cultivated by the rules of art, would furnilh perhaps,,
as valuable medicines as the eaftern countries; and as great quantities of
gold and filver, as Peru and Mexico, in proportion to their fituation-
with the asquator. On the tops of feveral of thofe mountains, 1 have
obferved tufts of grafs deeply, tinftured by the mineral exhalations from,
the earth ; and on the fides, they glittered from the lame caufe. If fkilful.
alchymills made experiments on thefe mountains, they could foon fatisfy.
themfelvcs, as to the value of their contents, and probably would find their,
account in it..

Within twenty miles of the late Fort-Loudon, there is great plenty of
whet-ftones for razors, of red, white, and black colours. The filver mines
are fo rich, that by digging about ten yards deep,, fome defperate vagrants-
found at fundry times, fo much rich ore, as to enable them to counterfeit,
dollars, to a great amount ; a horfe load of which was detected in palling
for the purchafe of negroes, at Augufta, which Hands on the fouth-fide of
the meandering beautiful Savanah river, half way from the Cheerake coun¬
try, to Savanah, the capital of Georgia. The load-llone is likewife found
there, but they have no IkilL in fearching for it, only on the furface ;,
a great deal.of the magnetic power is loll, as being expofed to the various
changes of the weather,. and frequent firing of the woods. I was told
by a trader, who lives in the upper, parts of the Cheerake country, which
is furrounded on every, fide, by prodigious piles of mountains called
Gheeowhee, that within about a mile of the town of that name, there is a
hill with a great plenty of load-ttones—the truth of this any gentleman of.
cutiofity may foon afcertain, as it lies on the northern path that leads from
South-Carolina, to the remains of Fort-Loudon: and while he is in.fealch of
this, he may at the fame time make a great acquell of riches, for the load-
Sone is known to accompany rich metis. 1 was once near that load-llone

hill,.

An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 237-

hHf, but the heavy fains which at that time fell on the deep fnow, pre¬
vented the gratifying my curiofity, as the boggy deep creek was thereby
rendered impaffable.

In this rocky country, are found a great many beautiful, clear, chry-
ftaline ftones, formed by nature into feveral angles, which commonly meet
in one point: feveral of them are tranfparent, like a coarfe diamond—
others refemble the onyx, being engendered of black and thick hu¬
mours, as-we fee water that is tindlured with ink, (till keeping its fur-
face clear. I found one done like a ruby, as big as the top of a man’s
thumb, with a beautiful dark fhade in the middle of it. Many ftones
erf various colours, and beautiful luftre, may be collected on the tops
of thofe hills and mountains, which if fkilfully managed, would be very
valuable, for fome of them are clear, and very hard. From which, we -
may rationally conjeflure that a quantity of fubterranean treafures is
contained there -, the Spaniards generally found out their fouthern mines,,
by fuch fuperficial indications. And it would be an ufeful, and profitable-
fervice for fkilful artifts to engage in, as the prefent trading white lavages
are utterly ignorant of it. Manifold curious works of the wife author of
nature, are bountifully difperfed through the whole of the country, ob¬
vious to every curious eye-

Among the mountains, are many labyrinths, and fome of a great length,
with many branches, and various windings; likewife different forts of
mineral waters, the qualities of which are unknown to the natives, as¬
hy their temperate way of living, and the healthinefs of their country,,
they have no occafion to make experiments in them. Between the heads
of the northern branch of the lower Cheerake river, and the heads of that
of Tuckafehchee, winding round in a long.courfe by the late Fort-Loudon,
and afterwards into the Mlffifippi, there is, both in the nature and circum-
ftances, a great phenomenon — Between two high mountains, nearly co¬
vered with old moffy rocks, lofty cedars, and pines-, in the valleys of which
die beams of the fun reflect a powerful heat, there are, as the natives affirm,
fome bright old inhabitants, or rattle fnakes,.of a more enormous fize than is
mentioned in hiftory. They, are fo large and unwieldy, that they take a
circle, almoft as wide as their length, to crawl round in their fhorteft orbit:
but bountiful nature compenfates the heavy motion, of their bodies, for

-2j8 An Account of {be Cheerake Nation.

as they fay,-no living creature moves within the reach of their fight,
but they can draw it to them; which is agreeable to what we obfemy
through the whole fyftem of animated beings. Nature endues them with
proper capacities to fuftain life;—as they cannot fupport themfelves, by
their fpeed, or cunning to fpring from an ambufcade, it is needful they
lhould have che bewitching craft of their eyes and forked tongues.

The defeription the Indians give us of their colour, is as various as what
we are told of the camelion, that feems to the fpo&ator to change its
colour, by every different pofition he may view it in; which proceeds
from the piercing rays of light that blaze from their foreheads, fo as
to dazzle the eyes, from whatever quarter they poll themfelves — for
in each of their heads, there is a large carbuncle, which not only re¬
pels, but they affirm, futlies the meridian beams of the fun. They reckon
it fo dangerous to difturb thole creatures, that no temptation can in¬
duce them to betray their fecret recefs to the prophane. They call them
and all of the rattle-Cnake kind, kings, or chieftains of the fnakes; and
they allow one fuch to every different fpecies -of the brute creation. An
old trader of Cheeowhee told me, that for the reward of two pieces
of ftroud-cloth, he engaged a couple of young warriors to fhew him the
place of their refort; but the head-men would not by any means al¬
low it, on account of a fuperftitious tradition—for they fancy the kil¬
ling of them would expofe them to the danger of being bit by the
other inferior fpecies of that ferpentine tribe, who love their chieftains,
and know by inftinft thole who malicioufly killed them, as they fight
•only in their own defence, and that of their young ones, never biting
•thole who do not difturb them. Although they efteem thole rattle fnakes
as chieftains of that fpecies, yet they do not deify them, as the Egyp¬
tians did all the ferpentine kind, and like wile Ibis, that preyed upon them ;
however, it feems to have fprung from the fame origin, for > once law
the Chikkafah Archi-magits to chew fome fnake-noot, blow it on his
hands, and then take up a rattle fnake without damage — foon afterwards
he laid it down carefully, in a hollow tree, left I lhould have killed ir.
Once on the Chikkafah trading war-path, adittle above the -country of the
Mufkohge, as 1 was returning to camp from hunting, I found in a large
cane fwamp, a fellow-traveller, an old Indian trader, inebriated and
faked, except his Indian breeches and maccaieenes ; is that habit he fat,

* holding

An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

Holding a great rattle-fnake round the neck, with his left hand be-
fineared with proper roots, and with the other, applying the roots to the'
teeth, in order to repel the poifon, before he drew them out; which having
effected, he laid it down tenderly at a diftance. I then killed it, to his great
diflike, as he jvas afraid it would occafion misfortunes to himfelf and
me. I told him, as he had taken away its teeth, common pity (hould
induce one to put it out of mifery, and that a charitable aftion could never
bring ill on any one; but his education prevented his fears from fub-
fiding. On a Chrrdmas-day, at the trading houfe of that harmlefs, brave,
but unfortunate man, I took the foot of- a guinea-deer out of his (hot-
pouch—and another from my own partner, which they had very fafely
fewed in the corner of each of their otter-lkin-pouches, to enable them, ac¬
cording to the Indian creed, to kill deer, bear, buffaloe, beaver, and other
wild beads, in plenty : but they were fo infatuated with the Indian fuper--
ftitious belief of the power of that charm, that all endeavours of record
ciling them to reafon were inefFeflual: I therefore returned them, for as-
they were Nimrods, or hunters of men, as well as of wild beads, I ima¬
gined, Ilhould be anfwerable to myfelf for every accident that might befal -
them, by depriving them of what they depended upon as their chief good,
in that wild fphere of life. No wonder that the long-defolate favages of
the far extending defartsof America, (hould entertain the former fuperditious
notions of ill luck by that, and good fortune by this; as thofe of an early
chridian education, are fo foon impred with the like opinions. The latter
was killed on the old Chikkafah, or American-Flanders path, in company
with another expert brave man, in the year 1745, by twenty Choktah fa¬
vages, fet on by the chridian French of Tumbikpe garrifon; in confequence
of which, I daid by myfelf the following fummer-feafon, in the Chik¬
kafah country, and when the red of the trading people and all our horfes
were gone down to the Englifti fettlements, I perfuaded the Choktah to
take up the bloody tomohawk againd thofe perfidious French, in revenge
of a long train of crying blood: and had it not been for the felf-interefted
policy of a certain governor, thofe numerous favages, with the war-like
Chikkafah, would have dedroyed the Miflifippi fettlements, root and branch,
except thofe who kept themfelves clofely confined in garrifon. When
I' treat of the Choktah country, I (hall more particularly relate that very
material affair.

■240 Jin Account of the 'Cheerake Nation.

' The fuperior policy of the French fo highly intoxicated the light heads
of the Cheerake, that they were plodding mifchief for twenty years before
we forced them to commit hoftilitics. The illuftration of this may divert the
reader, and (hew our fouthern colonies what they may (till expeft from the
tnafterly abilities of the French Louiflanians, whenever they can make it
fuic their intereft to exert their talents among the Indian nations, while
our watch-men are only employed in treating on paper, in our far-diftant
capital feats of government,

Tn the year 1736, the French font into South-Carolina, one Priber, a
gentleman of a curious and fpeculative temper. 1 le was to tranfmit them
a full account of that country, and proceed to the Cheerake nation, in or¬
der to feduce them from the Britidi to the French intereft. He went, and
though he was adorned with every qualification that conftitutes the gen¬
tleman, foon after he arrived at the upper towns of this mountainous
country, he exchanged his clothes and every thing he brought with him,
and by that means, made friends with the head warriors of great Tel-
liko, which flood on a branch of the Mifiifippi. More effe&ually to
anfwer the defign of his commiffion, he ate, drank, flept, danced, drefled,
and painted himfclf, with the Indians, fo that it was not eafy to diftinguiih
him from the natives,—he married alfo with them, and being endued with a
ftrong underftanding and retentive memory, he foon learned their dialetft,
and by gradual advances, imprefied them with a very ill opinion of the En-
glilh, reprefenting them as a fraudulent, avaritious, and encroaching peo¬
ple : he at the fame time, inflated the artlels favages, with a prodigious
high opinion of their own importance in the American fcale of power, on
account of the Ctuation of their country, their martial difpofition, and the
great number of their warriors, which would baffle all the efforts of the am¬
bitious, and ill-defigning Britidi colonifts. Having thus infefled them by
his fmooth deluding art, he eafily formed them into a nominal repub¬
lican government — crowned their old Archi-magus, emperor, after a
pleading new favage form, and invented a variety of high-founding titles for
all the members of his imperial majefty’s red court, and the great offi¬
cers of ftate; which the emperor conferred upon them, in a manner ac¬
cording to their merit. He himfelf received the honourable title of his im¬
perial majefty’s principal fecretary of ftate, and as fuch he fubferibed him-
fclf, in all the letters he wrote to our government, and lived, in open de¬
fiance

An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

2+1

fiance of them. This feemed to be of fo dangerous a tendency, as
to induce South-Carolina to fend up a commiflioner. Col. F—x, to de¬
mand him as an. enemy to the public repofe—who took him into cuftody,
in the great fquare of their ftate-houfe: when he had almoft concluded
his oration on the occafion, one of the head warriors rofe up, and bade him
forbear, as the man he entended to enflave, was made a great beloved
man, and become one of their own people. Though it was reckoned, our
agent’s ftrength was far greater in his arms than his head, he readily de-
fifted—for as it is too hard to ftruggle with the pope in Rome, a ftranger
could not mifs to find it equally difficult to enter abruptly into a new em¬
peror’s court, and there feize his prime minifter, by a foreign authority \
efpecially when he could not fupport any charge of guilt againft him. The
warrior told him, that the red people well knew the honefty of the fecreta-
ry’s heart would never allow him to tell a lie •, and the fecretary urged that
lie was a foreigner, without owing any allegiance to Great Britain,—that he
only travelled through fome places of their country, in a peaceable man¬
ner, paying for every thing he had of them ; that in compliance with the
requeft of the kindly French, as well as from his own tender feelings for
the poverty and infecore date of the Cheerake, he came a great way, and
lived among them as a brother, only to preferve their liberties, by opening
a water communication between them and New Orleans 5 that the diftance of
the two places from each other, proved his motive to be the love of doing
good, efpecially as he was to go there, and bring up a lufficient number
of Frenchmen of proper fkill to indraft them in the art of making gun¬
powder, the materials of which, he affirmed their lands abounded with.—
He concluded his artful fpeech, by urging that the tyrannical defign
of the Englifh commiffioner toward him, appeared plainly to be levelled
againft them, becaufe, as he was not accufed of having done any ill to the
Engliffi, before he came to the Cheerake, his crime mult confift in loving
the Cheerake.—And as that was reckoned fo heinous a tranfgreffion in the
eye of the Engliffi, as to fend one of their angry beloved men to enflave
him, it confirmed all thofe honeft fpeeches he had often fpoken to
the prefent great war-chieftains, old beloved men, and warriors of each
clafs.

An old war-leader repeated to the commiffioner, the eflentia! part of the
fpeech, and added more of his own fimilar thereto. He bade him to in-
I i form

242 An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

form his fuperiors, that the Cheerake were as defirous as the Engliih to
continue a friendly union with each other, as “ freemen and equals.” That
they hoped to receive no farther uneafinefs from them, for confulting their
own interells, as their reafon dilated.—And they earnedly requefted them
to fend no more of thofe bad papers to their country, on any account;
nor to reckon them fo bafe, as to allow any of their honed friends to be
taken out of their arms, and carried into flavery. The Engliih beloved
man had the honour of receiving his leave of abfence, and a fufficient pafs-
port of fafe condudt, from the imperial red court, by a verbal order of
the fecretary of date,—who was fo polite as to wilh him well home, and;
ordered a convoy of his own life-guards, who conducted him a confider-
able way, and he got home in fafety.

From the above, it is evident, that the monopolizing fpirit of the-
French had planned their dangerous lines of circumvallation, refpedling
our envied colonies, as early as the before-mentioned period. Their choice-
of the man, befpeaks alfo their judgment.—Though the philofophic fe¬
cretary was an utter dranger to the wild and mountainous Cheerake coun¬
try, as well as to their language, yet his fagacity readily diredted him.
to chufe a proper place, and an old favourite religious man, for the new
red empire; which he formed by flow, but fute degrees, to the great
danger of our fouthern colonies. But the empire received a very great.
Ihock, in an accident that befel the fecretary, when it was on the point
of rifing into a far greater date of puiflance, by the acquifltion of the
Mufkohge, Choktah, and the wedern Miflifippi Indians. In the fifth year
of that red imperial *ra, he fet off for Mobille, accompanied by a few
Cheerake. He proceeded by land, as far as a navigable part of the
wedern great river of the Mufkohge there he went into a canoe pre¬
pared for the joyful occafion, and proceeded within a day’s journey of;
Alebahma garrifon — conjedturing the adjacent towns were under the
influence of the French, he landed at Tallapoofe town, and lodged
there all night. The traders of the neighbouring towns foon went
there, convinced the inhabitants of the dangerous tendency of his un¬
wearied labours among the Cheerake, and of his prefent journey,,
and then took him into cudody, with a large bundle of manuferipts, and
fent him down to Frederica in Georgia; the governor committed him
to a place of confinement, though not with common felons, as he was-
a foreigner, and was faid to have held a place of confiderable rank in

the

243

An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

the army with great honour.. Soon after, the magazine took fire, which
was not far from where he was confined, and though the centinels bade
him make off to a place of fafety, as all the people were running to
avoid danger from the explofion of the powder and (hells, yet he fquatted
on his belly upon the floor, and continued in that pofition, without the
leaft hurt: feveral blamed his ralhnefs, but he told them, that experience
had convinced him, it was the mod probable means to avoid imminent
danger. This incident difplayed the philol'opher and foldier, and after
bearing his misfortunes a confiderable time with great conftancy, hap¬
pily for us, he died in confinement,—though he deferved a much bet¬
ter fate. In the firft year of his fecretarylhip I maintained a correfpond-
ence with him ; but the Indians becoming very inquifidve to know the
contents of our marked large papers, and he fufpedling his memory
might fail him in telling thofe cunning fifters of truth, a plaufible ftory,
and of being able to repeat it often to them, without any variation,—
he took the fhorteft and fafeft method, by telling them that, in the very
fame manner as he was their great fecretary, I was the devil’s clerk, or an
accurfed one who marked on paper the bad fpeech of the evil ones of
darknefs. Accordingly, they forbad him writing any more to fuch an ac¬
curfed one, or receiving any of his evil-marked papers, and our corre-
fpondence ceafed. As he was learned, and pofiefled of a very fagacious
penetrating judgment, and had every qualification that was requifite for
his bold and difficult enterprize, it is not to be doubted, that as he wrote
a Cheerake diftionary, defigned to be publiihed at Paris, he likewife fet
down a great deal that would have been very acceptable to the curious, and
ferviceable to the reprefentatives of South-Carolina and Georgia; which
may be readily found in Frederica, if the manufcripts have had the good
fortune to efcape the defpoiling hands of military power.

When the weftern Cheerake towns loft the chief fupport of their impe¬
rial court, they artfully agreed to inform the Englifh traders, that each of
them had opened their eyes, and rejected the French plan as a wild fcheme,
inconfiftent with their interefts s except great Telliko, the metropolis of their
late empire, which they faid was firmly refolved to adhere to the French
propofals, as the fureft means of promoting their welfare and happinefs.
Though the inhabitants of this town were only dupes to the reft, yet for

the

I i z

244

An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

the fake of the imagined general good of the country, their conftancy
enabled them to ufe that difguife a long time, in contempt of the Englifh,
till habit changed into a real hatred of the objeft, what before was only
fiflitious. They correfponded with the French in the name of thofe feven
towns, which are the mod warlike part of the nation: and they were f»
ftrongly prepoflefled with the notions their beloved fecretary had infufed
into their heads, in that early weak date of Louiiiana, that they had re-
folved to remove, and fettle fo low down their river, as the French boats
could readily bring them a fupply. But the hot war they fell into with the
northern Indians, made them podpone the execution of that favourite de-
fign ; and the fettling of Fort Loudon, quieted them a little, as they
expefttd to get prefents, and fpirituous liquors there, according to the
manner of the French promifes, of which they had great plenty.

The French, to draw off the wedern towns, had given them repeated
aflurances of fettling a drong garrifon on the north fide 'of their river,
as high up as their large pettiaugres could be brought with fafety, where
there was a large traft of rich lands abounding with game and fowl, and
the river with fifh.—They at the fame time promifed to procure a firm
peace between the Cheerake and all the Indian nations depending on the
French) and to bedow on them powder, bullets, flints, knives, fciflars,
combs. Hurts, looking glafles, and red paint,—befide favourite trifles to
the fair fex: in the fame brotherly manner the Alebahma French ex¬
tended their kindly hands to their Mufkohge brethren. By their afliduous
endeavours, that artful plan was well fupported, and though the fituation of
our affairs, in the remote, and leading Cheerake towns, had been in a
ticklifh fituation, from the time their projeft of an empire was formed t
and though feveral other towns became uneafy and difeontented on fun-
dry pretexts, for the fpace of two years before the unlucky occafion of
the fucceeding war happened—yet his excellency our governor neglefted
the proper meafures to reconcile the wavering favages, till the gentleman
who was appointed to fucceed him, had juft reached the American coaft :
then, indeed, he fet off, with a confiderable number of gentlemen, in.
flourifliing parade, and went as far as Ninety-fix *. fettlement; from,
whence, as mod probably he expefted, he was fortunately recalled, and
joyfully fuperfeded. I faw him on his way up, and plainly obferved' he-
was unprovided for the journey; it muft unavoidably have proved abortive
* So called from its diftance of miles from the Cheerake.

before

An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 245

before he could have proceeded through the Cheerake country,—gratifying
the inquifitive difpofition of the people, as he went, and quieting the jealous
minds of the inhabitants of thofe towns, who are fettled among the Apa-
lahclie mountains, and thofe feven towns, in particular, that lie beyond
them. He, neither fent before, nor carried with him, any prefents where¬
with to foothe the natives; and his kind promifes, and fmooth fpeeches,
would have weighed exceedingly light in the Indian feale.

Having (hewn the bad (late of our affairs among the remoteft parts of
the Cheerake country, and the caufes.—I (hall now relate their plea, for
commencing war againft the Britifh colonies ; and the great danger we
were expofed to by the inceffant intrigues of the half-favage French garri-
fons, in thofe hot times, when all our northern barriers were fo prodigioully
harraffed. Several companies of the Cheerake, who joined our forces un¬
der General Stanwix at the unfortunate Ohio, affirmed that their alienation
from us, was—becaufe they were confined to our martial arrangement, by
unjuft fufpicion of them—were very much contemned,—and half ftarved
at the main camp : their hearts told them therefore to return home, as
freemen and injured allies, though without a fupply of provifions. This
they did, and pinching hunger forced them to take as much as barely
fupported nature, when returning to their own country. In their journey,
the German inhabitants, without any provocation, killed in cool blood about
forty of their warriors, in different places—though each party was under
the command of a Britifh- fubjeft. They fealped all, and butchered feveral,
after a moft (hocking manner, in imitation of the barbarous war-cuftom
of the favages ; fome who efcaped the carnage, returned at night, to fee
their kindred and war-companions, and reported their fate. Among thofe
who were thus treated, fome were leading men, which had a dangerous ten¬
dency to difturb the public quiet. We were repeatedly informed, by pub¬
lic accounts, that thofe murderers were fo audacious as to impofe the
fealps on the government for thofe of French Indians •, and that they ac¬
tually obtained the premium allowed at that time by law in fuch a cafe.
Although the vindiftive difpofition of Indians in general, impetuoully
forces them on in queft of equal revenge for blood, without the leaft
thought of conlequences ; yet as a mifunderftanding had fubfifted fome time,
between feveral diftant towns, and thofe who chanced to lofe their peo¬
ple in Virginia, the chiefs of thofe families being afraid of a civil war.

246 An Account of the Cheerakc Nation.

in cafe of a rupture with us, difluaded the furious young warriors from
commencing hoftilities againft us, till they had demanded fatisfaflion,
agreeable to the treaty of friendlhip between them and our colonies •, which
if denied, they would fully take of their own accord, as became a free,
warlike, and injured people. In this Rate, the affair lay, for the beft part
of a year, without our ufmg any proper conciliating meafures, to prevent
the threatening impending ftorm from deftroying us: during that interval,
they earneftly applied to Virginia for fatisfaflion, without receiving any;
■in like manner to North-Carolina •, and afterwards to South-Carolina, with
the fame bad fuccefs. And there was another incident at Fort Prince-
George, which fet fire to the fuel, and kindled it into a raging flame : three
light-headed, dil'orderly young officers of that garrifon, forcibly violated
fome of their wives, and in the moft fhamelefs manner, at their own houfes,
while the hufbands were making their winter hunt in the woods—and which
infamous conduit they madly repeated, but a few months before the
commencement of the war: in other refpects, through a haughty over¬
bearing fpirit, they took pleafure in infulting and abufing the natives, when
they paid a friendly vifit to the garrifon. No wonder that fuch a behaviour,
caufed their revengeful tempers to burft forth into aftion. When the In¬
dians find no redrefs of grievances, they never fail to redrefs themfelves,
either fooner or later. But when they begin, they do not know where to
end. Their thirft for the blood of their reputed enemies, is not to be
quenched with a few drops.—The more they drink, the more it inflames
their thirft. When they dip their finger in human blood, they are reftlefs
till they plunge themfelves in it.

Contrary to the wife conduft of the French garrifons in fecuring the af-
feflion of the natives where they are fettled—our fons of Mars imbittered
the hearts of thofe Cheerake, that lie next to South-Carolina and Georgia
colonies, againft us, with the mid feulements and the weftern towns on the
ftreams of the Miffifippi: who were fo incenfed as continually to upbraid
the traders with our unkind treatment of their people in the camp at Mo-
nongahela,—and for our having committed fuch hoftilities againft our good
friends, who were peaceably returning home through our fertlements, and
often under pinching wants. The lying over their dead, and the wailing
of the women in their various towns, and tribes, for their deceafed rela¬
tions, at the dawn of day, and in the dufk of the evening, proved another
ftrong provocative to them to retaliate blood for blood. The Mufkohge

alfo

An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 247

aIfo at that time having a friendly intercourfe with the Cheerake, through
the channel of the governor of South-Carolina, were, at the inftance of
the watchful French, often ridiculing them for their cowardice in not re¬
venging the crying blood of their beloved kinfmen and warriors. At the
fame time, they promifed to aflift them againft us, and in the name of the
Alebahma French, allured them of a fupply of ammunition, to enable them
to avenge their injuries, and maintain their lives and liberties againft the
mifchievous and bloody Englilh colonifts; who, they faid, were naturally
in a bitter (late of war againft all the red people, and ftudied only how to
fteal their lands, on a quite oppofite principle to the open fteady con-
duft of the generous French, who aftift their poor red brothers, a great¬
way from their own fetilements, where they can have no view, but that
of doing good. Notwithftanding the repeated provocations we had given,
to the Cheerake,—and the artful infinuations of the French, inculcated with,
proper addrefs; yet their old chiefs not wholly depending on the fincerity of
their fmooth tongues and painted faces, nor on the affiftance, or even-
neutrality of the remote northern towns of their own country, on mature
deliberation, concluded that, as all hopes of a friendly redrefs for the blood
of their relations now depended on their own hands, they ought to take re¬
venge in that equal and juft manner, which became good warriors. They
accordingly fent out a large company of warriors, againft thofe Germans,,
(or Tied-arfe people, as they term them) to bring in an equal number of their
fcalps, to thofe of their own murdered relations. — Or if they found their
fafety did not permit, they were to proceed as near to that fettlement, as they
conveniently could, where having taken fufficient fatisfaflion, they were to.
bury the bloody tomohawk they took with them. They fet off, but ad¬
vancing pretty far into the high fettlements of North-Carolina, the ambi¬
tious young leaders feparated into fmall companies, and killed as many of
our people, as unfortunately fell into their power, contrary to the wife or¬
ders of their feniors, and the number far exceeded that of their own
(lain. Soon after they returned home, they killed a reprobate old tra¬
der j and two foldiers alfo were cut off near Fort Loudon. For thefe afls
of hoftility, the government of South-Carolina demanded fatisfaflion, with¬
out receiving any -, the hearts of their young warriors were fo exceed¬
ingly enraged, as to render their ears quite deaf to any remonftrance
of their feniors, refpefling an.amicable accommodation; for as they ex-
pefted to be expofed to very little danger, on our remote, difperfed, and
S very.

2 4S An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

very extenfive barrier fettlements, nothing but war-fongs and war-dance*
could pleafe them, during this flattering period of becoming great war¬
riors, “ by killing fwarms of white dung-hill fowls, in the corn-fields, and
afleep,” according to their war-phrafe.

Previous to this alarming crifis, while the Indians were applying to our
colonies for that fatisfaftion, which our laws could not allow them, without
a large contribution of white fealps, from Tyburn, with one living cri¬
minal to fuffer death before their eyes, — his excellency William Henry
Lyttleton, governor of South-Carolina, ftrenuoufly exerted himfelf in pro¬
viding for the fafety of the colony •, regardlefs of fatigue, he vifited its
extenfive barriers, by land and water, to have them put in as refpe table a
condition, as circumftances could admit, before the threatening ftorm broke
out: and he ordered the militia of the colony, under a large penalty, to be
trained to arms, by an adjutant general, (the very worthy Col. G. P.) who
faw thofe manly laws of defence duly executed. We had great pleafure
to fee his excellency on his fummer’s journey, enter the old famous New-
Windfor garrifon, like a private gentleman, without the leaft parade ; and
he proceeded in his circular courfe, in the fame retired eafy manner, without
incommoding any of the inhabitants. He fully teftified, his foie aim was
the fecurity and welfare of the valuable country over which he prefided,
without imitating the mean felf-interefted artifice of any predeceflor. At
the capital feat of government, he bufily employed himfelf in extending,
and protefling trade, the vital part of a maritime colony •, in redreffing old
negleted grievances, of various kinds j in punifhing corruption wherefo-
ever it was found, beginning at the head, and proceeding equally to
the feet; and in protefling virtue, not by the former cobweb-laws, but
thofe of old Britilh extraction. In fo laudable a manner, did that public-
fpirited governor exert his powers, in his own proper fphere of action:
but on an object much below it, he failed, by not knowing aright the tem¬
per and cuftoms of the favages.

The war being commenced on both Tides, by the aforefeid complicated
caufes, it continued for fome time a partial one : and according to the well-
known temper of the Cheerake in fimilar cafes, it might either have re¬
mained fo, or foon have been changed into a very hot civil war, had we
3 been

An Account of the Cheerakc Nation. 249

been fo wife as to have improved the favourable opportunity. There were
feven northern towns, oppofite to the middle parts of the Cheerake coun¬
try, who from the beginning of the unhappy grievances, firmly diffented'
from the hoftile intentions of their fuffering and enraged country-men, and
for a confiderable time before, bore them little good-will, on account of
fome family difputes, which occafioned each party to be more favourable
to itfelf than to the other : Thefe, would readily have gratified their vin¬
dictive difpofition, either by a neutrality, or an offenfive alliance with
our colonifts againlt them. Our rivals the French, never negleCted fo fa¬
vourable an opportunity of‘fecuring, and promoting their interefts.—We
have known more than one inftance, wherein their wifdom has not only
found out proper means to difconcert the molt dangerous plans of dif-
affedted favages, but likewife to foment, and artfully encourage great ani-
mofities between the heads of ambitious rival families, till they fixed them
in an implacable hatred againft each other, and all of their rcfpedtive tribes.
Had the French been under fuch circumftances, as we then were, they
would inflantly have fent them an embafly by a proper perfon, to enforce it
by the perfuafive argument of intereft, well lupported with prefents to all
the leading men, in order to make it weigh heavy in the Indian fcale;
and would have invited a number of thofe towns to pay them a brotherly
vifit, whenever it fuited them, that they might (hake hands, fmoke out of the
white, or beloved pipe, and drink phyfic together, as became old friends
of honeft hearts, &c.

Had we thus done, many valuable and innocent perfons might have been
faved from the torturing hands of the enraged Indians 1 The favourite lead¬
ing warrior of thofe friendly towns, was well known to South-Carolina
and Georgia, by the trading name—“ Round 0 .” on account of a blue
impreflion he bore in that form. The fame old, brave, and friendly war¬
rior, depending firmly on our friendfhip and ufual good faith, came down
within an hundred miles of Charles-town, along with the head-men, and
many others of thofe towns, to declare to the government, an inviola¬
ble attachment to all our Britilh colonies, under every various circumftance
of life whatfoever j and at the fame time, earneftly to requeft them to fup-
ply their prefent want of ammunition, and order the commanding officer of
Fort-Prince-George to continue to do them the like fervice, when neceflity
Ihould force them to apply for it ■, as they were fully determined to war

25» An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

to the very lad, againft all the enemies of Carolina, without regarding who
they were, or the number they confided of. This they told me on the
fpot; for having been in a Angular manner recommended to his excellency
the general, 1 was pre-engaged for that campaign—but as I could not ob¬
tain orders to go a-head of the army, through the woods, with a body of
the Chikkafah, and commence hodilities, I declined the affair. Had our
valuable, and well-meaning Cheerake friends juft mentioned, adted their
ufual part of evading captivity, it would have been much better for them,
and many hundreds of our unfortunate out-fettlers •, but they depending on
our ufual good faith, by their honeft credulity were ruined. It was well-
known, that the Indians are unacquainted with the cullom and meaning
of hoftages to them, it conveyed the idea of flaves, as they have no pub¬
lic faith to fccurc the lives of fuch—yet they were taken into cuftody,
kept in clofe confinement, and afterwards fhot dead : their mortal crime
confifted in founding the War-whoop, and hollowing to their countrymen,
when attacking the fort in which they were imprifoned, to fight like
ftrong-hearted warriors, and they would foon carry it, againft the cowardly
traitors, who deceived and inflaved their friends in their own beloved coun¬
try. A white favage on this cut through a plank, over their heads, and
perpetrated that horrid action, while the foldiery were employed like war¬
riors, againft the enemy : to excufe his bafenefs, and fave himlelf from the
reproaches of the people, he, like the wolf in the fable, falfely accufed
them of intending to poifon the wells of the garrifon.

By our uniform mifcondudt, we gave- too plaufible a plea to the difaf-
fedted part of the Mulkohge to join the Cheerake, and at the fame time,
fixed the whole nation in a ftate of war againft us—all the families of
thofe leading men that were fo lhamefully murdered, were inexpreflibly
imbittered againft our very national name, judging that we firft de¬
ceived, then inflaved, and afterwards killed our belt, and moft faithful
friends, who were firmly refolved to die irt our defence. The means of
our general fafety, thus were turned to our general ruin. The mixed
body of people that were firft fent againft them, were too weak to do them
any ill; and they foon returned home with a wild, ridiculous parade.
There were frequent defertions among them—fome were afraid of the fmall-
pox, which then raged in the country—others abhorred an inadlive life \
this fine filken body chiefly, confifted of citizens and planters from the
low fettlements, unacquainted with the hardlhips of a wood-land, fa-
3 vage

2 5 I

An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

vagc war, and in cafe of an ambufcade attack, were utterly incapable of
Handing the (hock. In Georgiana, we were affured by a gentleman of cha-
ra&er, a principal merchant of Mobille, who went a voluntier on that
expedition, that toward the conclufion of it, when he went round the
delicate camp, in wet weather, and late at night, he faw in different places
from fifteen to twenty of their guns in a clutter, at the diftance of an equal
number of paces from their tents, feemingly fo rutty and peaceable, as the
lofs of them by the ufual fudden attack of Indian favages, could not in the
leaft affefl their lives. And the Cheerake nation were fenfible of their inno¬
cent intentions, from the difpofition of the expedition in fo late a feafon of the
year: but their own bad fituation by the ravaging fmall-pox, and the dan¬
ger of a civil war, induced the lower towns to lie dormant. However, foon
after our people returned home, they firmly united in the generous caufe of
liberty, and they aided their part fo well, that our traders fufpefted not the
impending blow, till the moment they fatally felt it: fome indeed efcaped
by the affiftance of the Indians. In brief, we forced the Cheerake to be¬
come our bitter enemies, by a long train of wrong meafures, the confe-
quences of which were feverely felt by a number of high affeffed, ruined,
and bleeding innocents—May this relation, be a lading caution to our co¬
lonies againft the like fatal errors! and induce them, whenever neceffity
compels, to go well prepared, with plenty of fit ftores, and men, againft any
Indian nation, and firft defeat, and then treat with them. It concerns us to
remember, that they neither (hew mercy to thofe who fall in their power,
by the chance of war; nor keep good faith with their enemies, unlefs
they are feelingly convinced of its reafonablenefs, and civilly treated after¬
ward.

Had South-Carolina exerted herfelf in due time againft them, as her fitua¬
tion required, it would have faved a great deal of innocent blood, and pub¬
lic treafure : common fenfc direfled them to make immediate preparations
for carrying the war into their country, as the only way to conquer them;
but they ftrangely neglected fending war-like ftores to Ninety-fix, our only
barrier-fort, and even providing horfes and carriages for that needful occa-
fion, till the troops they requefted arrived from New-York: and then they
fent only a trifling number of thofe, and our provincials, under the gal¬
lant Col. Montgomery, (now Lord Eglington). His twelve hundred brave,
hardy highlanders, though but a handful, were much abler, however, to
K k 2 fight

252 An Account of the Cheerake Nation .

fight the Indians in their country than fix thoufand heavy-accoutered and flow
moving regulars : for thefe, with our provincials, could both fight and pur-
fue, while the regulars would always be furrounded, and ftand a fure and
fhining mark. Except a certain provincial captain who efcorted the cattle,
every officer and private man in this expedition, imitated the intrepid copy
of their martial leader-, but being too few in number, and withal, fcanty
of provifions, and having loft many men at a narrow pafs, called Crow’s
Creek, where the path leads by the fide of a river, below a dangerous
fteep mountain, — they proceeded only a few miles, to a fine fituated
town called Nuquofe-, and then wifely retreated under cover of the night,
toward Fort-Prince-George, and returned to Charles-town, in Auguft 1760.
Seven months after the Cheerake commenced hoftilities, South-Caro-
lina by her ill-timed parfimony again expofed her barriers to the merci-
lcfs ravages of the enraged Indians—who reckoning themfelves alfo fupe-
rior to any refiftance we could make, fwept along the valuable out-fettle-
ments of North-Carolina and Virginia, and like evil ones licenfed to deftroy,
ruined every thing near them. The year following, Major Grant, the
prefent governor of Eaft-Florida, was fent againft them with an army of re¬
gulars and provincials, and happily for him, the Indians were then in great
want of ammunition: they therefore only appeared, and fuddenly difap-
peared. From all probable circumftances, had the Cheerake been fufficiently-
fupplied with ammunition, twice the number of troops could not have de¬
feated them, on account of the declivity of their ftupendous mountains,
under which their paths frequently run; the Virginia troops likewife kepc
far off in ftourilhing parade, without coming to our affiftance, or making
a diverfion againft thofe warlike towns which lie beyond the Apalahche
mountains, — the chief of which are, Tcnr.iife, Choate, Great-Tellike, and.
Huwhafe.

At the beginning of the late Cheerake war, I Irad the pleafure to
fee, at Augufta in Georgia, the honourable gentleman who was our firft-
Indian fuper-intendant; he was on his way to the Mufkohge country,
to pacify their ill difpofition toward us, which had irritated the Chee-.
rake, and engaged them in a firm confederacy againft us. They had-
exchanged their bloody tomohawks, and red and black painted fwans
wings, a ftrong emblem of blood and death, in confirmation of their
ofienfive and defenfive treaty. But, notwithftanding our dangerous litu*
ation ought to have directed any gentleman worthy of public truft, to

hav-ft

An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 253

Iiave immediately proceeded to their country, to regain the hearts of thofe
fickle and daring favages, and thereby elude the deep-laid plan of the
French* and though Indian runners were frequently lent down by our old
friendly head-men, urging the abfolute neceffity of his coming up foon,
otherwife it would be too fate—he trifled away near half a year there, and
in places adjoining, in raifing a body of men with a proud uniform drefs,
for the fake of parade, and to efcort him from danger, with fwivels, blun-
derbuffes, and many other fuch forts of blundering fluff, before he pro¬
ceeded on his journey. This was the only way to expofe the gentleman to
real danger, by {hewing at fuch a time, a diffidence of the natives—which
he accordingly effefted, merely by his pride, obftinacy, and unfkilful-
nefs. It is well known, the whole might have been prevented, if he had
liftened to the entreaties of the Indian traders of that place, to requeft one
(who would neither refufe, nor delay to ferve his country on any important
occafion) to go in his ftead, as the dangerous fituation of our affairs de¬
manded quick difpatch. But pride prevented, and he flowly reached there,,
after much time was loft.

The artful French commander, had in the mean while a very good op¬
portunity to d i ft raft the giddy favages, and he wifely took advantage of
the delay, and perfuaded a confiderable body of the Shawano Indians to fly
to the northward,—as our chief was affirmed to be coming with an army,
and train of artillery to cut them off, in revenge of the blood they had
formerly fpilled. We foon heard, that in their way, they murdered a great
many of the Britifh fubjefts, and with the moft defpiteful eagemefs com¬
mitted their bloody ravages during the whole war.

After the head-men of that far-extending country, were convened to>
know the import of our intendants long-expetted embaffy, he detained
them from day to day with his parading grandeur-, not ufing the
Indian friendly freedom, either to the red, or white people, till provi-
fions grew fcanty. Then their hearts were imbittered againft him, while
the French Alebahma commander was bufy, in taking time by the fore¬
lock. But the former, to be uniform in his ftiff, haughty conduct,,
crowned the whole, in a. longer delay, and almoft gained a-fuppofed
_crown of martydom,—by prohibiting, in an obftinate manner, all the
war-chieftains and beloved men then affembled together in the great
beloved fquare, from handing the friendly white pipe to a certain great

254 Account of the Cheerake Nation.

war-leader, well-known by the names of Yab-Tak-Tuftanage , or “ the Great
Mortar,” becaufe he had been in the French intereft. Our great man, ought
to have reclaimed him by flrong reafoning and good treatment: but by his
mifconduft, he inflamed the hearts of him and his relations with the bit-
tereft enmity againft the Englifh name, fo that when the gentleman was
proceeding in his laconic flile,—a warrior who had always before been
very kind to the Britifh traders, (called “ the 'Tobacco-eater ,” on account of
his chewing tobacco) jumped up in a rage, and darted his tomohawk at his
head,—happily for all the traders prefent, and our frontier colonies, it funk
in a plank direftly over the fuperintendant; and while the tobacco-eater
was eagerly pulling it out, to give the mortal blow, a warrior, friendly
to the Englilb, immediately leaped up, faved the gentleman, and pre¬
vented thofe dangerous confcquences which muft otherwife have imme¬
diately followed. Had the aimed blow fuceeded, the favages would have
immediately put up the war and death whoop, deftroyed molt of the
white people there on the fpot, and fet off in great bodies, both to the
Cheerake country, and againft; our valuable fettlements. Soon after that
gentleman returned to Carolina, the Great Mortar perfuaded a party of
his relations to kill our traders, and they murdered ten — very for¬
tunately, it flopped there for that time. But at the clofe of the great
congrels at Augufta, where four governors of our colonies, and his ma-
jefty’s fuperintendant, convened the favages and renewed and con¬
firmed the treaty of peace, the fame difaffecled warrior returning home,
fent ofF a party, who murdered fourteen of the inhabitants of Long-Cane
fettlement, above Ninety-Six. The refult of that dangerous congrefs,
tempted the proud favages to atfl fuch a part, as they were tamely forgiven,
and unafked, all their former feenes of blood.

During this diflratfed period, the French ufed their utmoft endeavours to
involve os in a general Indian war, which to have faved South-Carolina and
Georgia, would probably have required the affiftance of a confiderable number
of our troops from Canada. They llrove to fupply the Cheerake, by
way of the Miffifippi, with warlike ftores; and alfo fent them powder,
bullets, flints, knives, and red paint, by their flaunch friend, the dif-
affedled Great Mortar, and his adherents. And though they failed in
executing their mifehievous plan, both on account of the manly efcape of
our traders, and the wife conduft of thofe below, they did not defpair.
Upon fludious deliberation, they concluded, that, if the aforefaid chieftain

Yah

An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 255

Yah Yah Tujlanage, his family, and warriors, fettled high up one of their
leading rivers, about half way toward the Cheerake, it would prove the
only means then left, of promoting their general caufe againft the Britilh
colonifts: And, as the lands were good for hunting,—the river lhallow,
and abounding with faltifh grafs, for the deer to feed on in the heat of the
day, free of troublefome infefts,—and as the dream glided by the Ale-
balima garrifon to Mobille, at that time in the French hands, it could not
well fail to decoy a great many of the ambitious young warriors, and
others, to go there and join our enemies, on any occafion which ap¬
peared moft conducive to their defign of fliedding blood, and getting
a higher name among their wolfilh heroes. He and his numerous pack,
confident of fuccefs, and of receiving the French fupplies by water, fet
off for their new feat, well loaded, both for their Cheerake friends
and themfelves. He had a French commiffion, with plenty of bees-wax,
and decoying piftures; and a flourifhing flag, which in dry weather,
was difplayed day and night, in the middle of their anti-anglican theatre.
It in a great meafure anfwered the ferpentine defign of the French, for
it became the general rendezvous of the Miffifippi Indians, the Chee¬
rake, and the more mifchievous part of the Mufkohge. The latter became
the French carriers to thofe high-land favages: and had they received
the ammunition fent them by water, and that neft been allowed , to con¬
tinue, we Ihould have had the French on our fouthern colonies at the
head of a dreadfbl confederated array of favages, carrying defolation
where-ever they went. But, the plan mifcarried, our friendly gallant
Chikkafah, being well informed of the ill defign of this neft of hor¬
nets, broke it up. A confiderable company of their refolute warriors
marched againft it; and, as they readily knew the place of the Great Mortar’s
refidence, they attacked it, and though they miffed him, they killed his bro¬
ther. This, fo greatly intimidated him, and his clan, that they fuddenly
removed from thence; and their favourite plan was abortive. When he
got near to a place of fafety, he (hewed how highly irritated he was againft
us, and our allies. His difappointment, and difgrace, prevented him from
returning to his own native town, and excited him to fettle in the remoteft,
and moft northern one of the whole nation, toward the Cheerake, in order
to aflift them, (as far as the French, and his own corroding temper
might enable him) againft the innocent objefts of his enmity: and
during the continuance of the war we held with thofe favages, he and a.

numerous

2 j6 An Account of the Cheerakc Nation.

numerous party of his adherents kept palling, and repairing, from thence
to the bloody theatre. They were there, as their loud infulting bravadoes
teftified, during our two before-mentioned campaigns, under the Hon. Col.
Montgomery, and Major Grant. The wife endeavours of Governor Bull,
of South-Carolina, and the unwearied application of Governor Ellis, of
, Georgia, in concert with the gentlemen of two great trading houfes, the
one at Augufta, and the other on the Carolina fide of the river, not far
below, where the Indians crowded day and night, greatly contributed to
demolilh the plan of the French and their ally, the Great Mortar.

When public fpirit, that divine fpark, glows in the bread of any of the
American leaders, it never fails to communicate its influence, all around,
even to the favages in the remoted wildernefs -, of which Governor Ellis
is an illuftrious indance. He fpeedily reconciled a jarring colony—calmed
the raging Mufkohge, though fet on by the mifchievous Alebihma French,
—pacified the Cheerake, and the red of their confederates—fent them off
well pleafed, without executing their bafe defign, and engaged them into a
neutrality. The following, is one indance—As foon as the Indians killed
our traders, they fent runners to call home their people, from our fettle-
ments: a friendly head warrior, who had notice of it at night, near Au-
guda, came there next day with a few more, expreffed his forrow for the
mifchief his countrymen had done Us, proteded he never had any ill inten¬
tions againd us, and faid that, though by the law of blood, he ought to
die, yet, if we allowed him to live as a friend, he fhould live and die
one. Though thoufands of regular troops would mod probably have
been totally cut off, had they been where the intended general maffa-
cre began, without an efcortment of our provincials •, yet an unfkilful,
haughty officer of Fort-Augufta laboured hard for killing this wairror, and
his companion, which of courfe, would have brought on what the enemy
fought, a complicated, univerfal war. But his excellency’s humane tem¬
per, and wife conduft, aftuating the Indian trading gentlemen of Augufta,
they differed him to fet off to drive to prevent the further effufion of in¬
nocent blood, and thus procured the happy fruits of peace, to the infant
colonies of Georgia and South-Carolina.

ACCOUNT

[ 2J7 ]

ACCOUNT

OF THE

•M U S K O H G E NATION, &c.

T HEIR country is fituated, nearly in the centre, between the Chee-
rake, Georgia, Eaft and Weft-Florida, and the Choktah and Chik-
kafah nations, the one 200, and the other 300 miles up the Miffifippi. It
extends 180 computed miles, from north to fouth. It is called the Creek
country, on account of the great number of Creeks, or fmall bays, rivulets
and fwamps, it abounds with. This nation is generally computed to con-
filt of about 3500 men fit to bear arms; and has fifty towns, or villages.
The principal are Ok-wbus-ke, Ok-cbai ,• Tuk-ke.-bat-cbe , T al-ld-fe , Kow-be-
tab, and Cba-hdh. The nation confifts of a mixture of- feveral broken
tribes, whom the Mufkohge artfully decOyed to incorporate with them, in
order to ftrengthen themfelves againff hoitile attempts. Their former na¬
tional names were Ta-metah, ae-keo-ge, Ok-cbai, Pdk-ka-na, Wee-tam-ka ;
with them is alfo one town of the Sbg-wa-no, and one of the Nab-cbee In-
dians ; likewife two great towns of the Koo-a-fdb-tc. The upper part of the
Mulkohge country is very hilly— the middle lefs fo — the lower towns, level:
Thefe are fettled by the remains of the Oof echo, Okone, and Sazvakola nations.
Mod of their towns are very commodioufly and pleafantly fituated, on-
large, beautiful creeks, or rivers, where the lands are fertile, the water clear
and well tailed, and the air extremely pure. As the ftreams have a quick
defcent, the climate is of a moll happy temperature, free from difagreeable
heat or cold, unlell for the fpace of a few days, in fummer and winter,
according to all our American climes. In their country are four bold rivers, '
which fpring from the Apalahche mountains, and interlock with the eaftern
branches of the Miffifippi. The Koofah river is the wellern boundary of
their towns: It is 200 yards broad, and runs by the late Alebahma, to
LI Mobille,

258 An Account of the Mufkohge Nation.

Mobille, eaflward. Okwhufke lies 70 miles from the former, which taking-
a confiderable fouthern fweep, runs a weftern courfe, and joins the aforefaid
great ftream, a little below that deferted garrifon ft nee. the year 1764, the
Mufkohge have fettled feveral towns, feventy miles eaflward from Okwhufke,
on the Chatahooche river, near to the old trading path. This great lympid
ftream is 200 yards broad, and lower down, it paftes by the Apalahche,
into Florida s fo that this nation extends 140 miles in breadth from eaft to
weft, according to the courfc of the trading path.

Their land is generally hilly, but not mountainous ;, which allows an -
army an eafy pafTage into their country, to retaliate their infults and cruel¬
lies—that period feems to advance apace ; for the fine flourifhing accounts
of thofe who gain by the art, will not always quiet a fuffering people.
As the Mufkohge judge only from what they fee. around them, they firmly
believe they are now more powerful than any nation that might be tempted to
invade them. Our paffive conduit toward them, caufcs them to entertain
a very mean opinion of our martial abilities : but, before we tamely allowed
them to commit ails of hoftility, at pleafure, (which will foon be men¬
tioned) the traders taught them fometimes by ftrong felt leffons, to con¬
clude the Englifh to be men and warriors. They are certainly the n.ofl
powerful Indian nation we are acquainted with on this continent, and within,
thirty years paft, they are grown very warlike. Toward the condufion of
their laft war with the Cheerake, they defeated them fo eafily, that in con¬
tempt, they fent feveral of their women and fmall boys againft them,
though, at that, time,. the Cheerake were the moft numerous. The
Choktah were- alfo much inferior to them, in feveral engagements they
had with them •, though, perhaps, they are the moft artful ambufcaders,
and wolfifh favages, in America.—But, having no rivers in their own coun¬
try, very few of them can fwim, which often proves inconvenient and dan¬
gerous, when they are in purfuit of the enemy, or purfued by them. We .
fhould be politically forry for their differences with each other to be re¬
conciled, as long experience convinces us they cannot live without fhedding
human blood fomewhere or other, on account of their jealous and fierce
tempers, in refentment of any kind of injury, and the martial preferment
each obtains for every fcalp of an enemy. They are fo extremely anxious
to be diftinguifhed by high war-titles, that fometimes a fmall party of war¬
riors, on failing of fuccefs in their campaign, have been dctefled in mur-

An Account of the Mufkolsge Nation. 259

dering fome of their own people, for the fake of their fcalps. We can¬
not expeft that they will obferve better faith towards us—therefore com¬
mon fenfe and felf-love ought to diredt us to chufe the lead of two una¬
voidable evils j ever to keep the wolf from our own doors, by engaging
him with his wolfilh neighbours: at lead, the officious hand of folly ffiould
not part them, when they arc earnedly engaged in their favourite element
againd each other.

All the other Indian nations we have any acquaintance with, are vifibly
and fad declining, on account of their continual mercilefs wars, the im¬
moderate ufe of fpirituous liquors, and the infectious ravaging nature of
the fmall pox: but the Mufkohge have few enemies, and the traders with
them have taught them to prevent the lad contagion from fpreading among
their towns, by cutting off all communication with thofe who are infefted,
till the danger is over. Befides, as the men rarely go to war till they have
helped the women to plant a fufficient plenty of provifions, contrary to the
ufual method of warring favages, it is fo great a help to propagation, that
by this means alfo, and their artful policy of inviting decayed tribes to in¬
corporate with them, I am affured by a gentleman of didinguiffied character,
who fpeaks their language as well as their bed orators, they have in-
creafed double in number within the fpace of thirty years pad, notwithdand-
ing their widows are confined to a ftricft date of celibacy, for the full
fpace of four years after the death of their hulbands. When we confider
that two or three will go feveral hundred miles, to way-lay an enemy—
the contiguous fituation of fuch a prodigious number of corrupt, haughty,
and mifchievous favages to our valuable colonies, ought to draw our atten¬
tion upon them. Thofe of us who have gained a fufficient knowledge of
Indian affairs, by long experience and obfervation, are firmly perfuaded that
the feeds of war are deeply implanted in their hearts againd us j and that
the allowing them, in our ufual tame manner, to infult, plunder, and mur¬
der peaceable Britiffi fubjefts, only tempts them to engage deeper in their
diabolical fcenes of blood, till they commence a dangerous open war againd
us: the only probable means to preferve peace, is either to fet them and
their rivals on one another, or by prudent management, influence them to
employ themfelves in raifing filk, or any other daple commodity that would
bed fuit their own temper and climate. Prudence points out this, but the
talk is too arduous for drangers ever to be able to qffeft, or they care not
about it.

LI 2

Before

2<5o An Account of the Mulkohge Nation.

Before the lateceflion of Eaft and Weft Florida to Great Britain, the country
of the Mulkohge lay between the territories of the Englifli, Spaniards,
French, Choktah, Chikkafah, and Cheerake.—And as they had a water car¬
riage, from the two Floridas ; to fecure their liberties, and a great trade
by land from Georgia and South-Carolina, this nation regulated the Indian
balance of power in our fouthern parts of North-America ; for the French
could have thrown the mercenary Choktah, and the Miflifippi favages, into
the fcale, whenever their intereft feemed to require it. The Mulkohge hav¬
ing three rival chriftian powers their near neighbours, and a French garrifon
on the fouthern extremity of the central part of their country ever fince
the war of the year 1715; the old men, being long informed by the
oppofite parties, of the different views, and intrigues of thofc European
powers, who paid them annual tribute under the vague appellation of pre-
fents, were become furprilingly crafty in every turn of low politics. They
held it as an invariable maxim, that their fecurity and welfare required a
perpetual friendly intercourfe with us and the French.; as our political
ftate of war with each other, would always fecure their liberties: whereas,
if they joined either party, and enabled it to prevail over the other, their
ftate, they faid, would then become as unhappy as that of a poor fellow,
who had only one perverfe wife, and yet muft bear with her /toward
temper; but a variety of choice would have kept off luch an afflicting
evil, either by his giving her a filent caution againft behaving ill, or by
enabling him to go to another, who was in a better temper. But as the
French Alebahma Garrifon had been long directed by Ikilful officers, and
fupplied pretty well with corrupting brandy, taffy, and decoying trifles,
at the expence of government, they induftrioufly applied their mifehievous
talents in imprefling many of the former Ample and peaceable natives with
falfe notions of the ill intentions of our colonies. In each of their towns,,
the French gave a confiderable penfion to an eloquent head-man,, to cor¬
rupt the Indians by plauflble pretexts, and inflame them againft us ; who.
informed them alfo of every material occurrence, in each of their refpective
circles. The force of liquors made them fo faithful to their trull, that they
poifoned the innocence of their own growing families, by. tempting them,
from their infancy, to receive the worft impreflions of the Britilh colonifts :
and as they very feldom got the better of thole prejudices, they alienated
the affetions of their offspring, and riveted their bitter enmity againft us.
That conduct of the Chriltian French has fixed many of the Mulkohge

An Account of the Mufkohge Nation. 261

in a ftrong native hatred to the Britifh Americans, which being hereditary,
mult of courfe increafe, as fad as they increafe in numbers; unlefs we give
them fuch a ievere leffon, as their annual hoftile condufl to us, has highly
deferved fince the year 1760. I lhall now fpeak more explicitly on this
very material point.

By our fuperintendant’s ftrange purfuit of improper meafures to appeafe
the Mufkohge, as before noticed, the watchful French engaged the irritated
Great Mortar to infpire his relations to cut off - fome of our traders by fur-
prife, and follow the blow at the time the people were ufually employed in
the corn-fields, left our party fhould flop them, in their intended bloody ca¬
reer. They accordingly began their hoftile attack in the upper town
of the nation, except one, where their mifchievous red abettor lived:
two white people and a negroe were killed, while they were in the horfe-
pen, preparing that day to have fet off with their returns to the Englilh
fettlements. The trader, who was furly and ill-natured, they chopped
to pieces, in a moft horrid manner, but the other two they did not
treat with any kind of barbarity; which (hews that the word people, in
their worft aflions, make a diftinftion between the morally virtuous, and
vicious. The other white people of that trading houfe, happily were at that
time in the woods;—they heard the favage platoon, and the death, and war-
whoop, which ftifikiently warned them of their imminent danger, and to
feek their fafety by the beft means they could. Some of them went through
the woods after night, to our friend towns; and one who happened to be
near the town when the alarm was given, going to bring in a horfe, was
obliged to hide himfelf under a large fallen tree, till night came on.
The eager favages came twice, pretty near him, imagining he would chufe
rather to depend on'the horfe’s fpeed, than his own: when tjie town was
engaged in dividing the fpoils, his wife fearing fhe might be watched, took
a confiderable fweep round; through the thickets, and by fearching the place,
and making fignals, where fhe expefled he lay concealed, fortunately found
him, and gave him provifions to enable him to get to our fettlements,
and then returned home in tears : he arrived fafe at Augufta, though
exceedingly torn with the brambles, as his fafety required him to travel
through unfrequented trafls. In the mean while, the favages having by this
inflamed their greedy thirft for blood, fet off fwifrly, and as they darted
3 along

262 An Account of the Mulkohge Nat km.

along founding the news of war, they from a few, increafed fo faft, that their
voices conveyed fuch thrilling (hocks to thofe they were in queft of, as if
the infernal legions had broken loofe through their favourite Alebahma, and
were inverted with power to deftroy the innocent. The great Okwhulkc-
town, where they reached, lay on the weftern fide of the large eafternmoft
branch of Mobille river, which joins a far greater weftern river, almoft two
miles below the late Alebahma; and the Englifh traders ftore-houfes lay
oppofite to the town. Thofe red ambaffadors of the French, artfully
parted the river above the town, and ran along filently to a gentleman’s
dwelling houfe, where they firft (hot down one of his fervants, and in a
minute or two after, himfelf: probably, he might have been faved, if he
had not been too defperate; for a ftrong-bodied leading warrior of the town
was at his houfe when they came to it, who grafped him behind, with his
face toward the wall, on purpofe to fave him from being (hot; as they durft
not kill himfelf, under the certain pain of death. But very unluckily, the
gentleman ftruggled, got hold of him, threw him to the ground, and fo
became too fair a mark.—Thus the Frenchified favages cut off, in the bloom
of his youth, the fan of J. R. Efq; Indian trading merchant of Augufta, who
was the moft (lately, comely, and gallant youth, that ever traded in the
Mulkohge country, and equally bleft with every focial virtue, that attracts
efteem. The very favages lament his death to this day, though it was ufual
with him to correft as many of the fwaggering heroes, as could (land
round him in his houfe, when they became impudent and mifehievous,
through the plea of drinking fpirituous liquors: when they recover from
their bacchanal phrenzy, they regard a man of a martial fpiric, and con¬
temn the pufillanimous.

While the town was in the utmoft furprife, the ambitious warriors
were joyfully echoing—“ all is fpoiledand founding the death-whoop,
they, like fo many infernal furies commifiloned to deftroy, fet off at
full fpeed, difperfing their bloody legions to various towns, to carry ge¬
neral deftruftion along with them. But before any of their companies
reached to the Okchai war-town, (the native place of the Great Mortar) the
inhabitants had heard the martacre was begun, and according to their rule,
killed two of our traders in their houfe, when quite off their guard:
as thefe traders were brave, and regardlefs of danger by their habit
of living, the favages were afraid to bring their arms with them, it being un-

ufual.

An Account of the Mulkofige Nation. 263

ufual, by reafon of the fecure fituation of the town. A few therefore
entered the houfe, with a fpecious pretence, and intercepted them from the
fire-arms, which lay on a rack, on the front of the chimney ; they inftantly
lei zed them, and as they were loaded with large (hot, they killed thofe
two valuable and intrepid men, and left them on the fire—but if they
had been a few minutes fore-warned of the danger, their lives would have
coft the whole town very dear, unkfs they had kindled' the houfe with
fire-arrows.

Like peftilential vapours driven' by whirlwinds, the mifchievous la¬
vages endeavoured to bring defolation on the innocent objefis of their
fbry, wherever they came : bur the different flights of the trading people,
as well as their own expertnefs in the woods, and their connections
with the Indians, both by marriage and other ties of friendlhip, difap-
pointed the accomplilhment of the main point of - the French diabolical'
fcheme of dipping them all over in blood. By fundry means, a con-
fiderable number of our people met at the friendly houfe of the old
Wolf-King, two miles from the Alebahma Fort, where that faithful
ftern chieftain treated them with the greateft kindnefs. But, as the
whole nation was diftraCted, and the neighbouring towns were devoted
to the French intereft, he found that by having no fortrefs, and only
forty warriors in his town, he was unable to proteft the refugees. In
order therefore to keep good faith with his friends, who put themfelves un¬
der his protection, he told them their fituation, fupplied thofe of them with
arms and ammunition who chanced to have none, and conveyed them into
a contiguous thick fwamp, as their only place of fecurity for that time;
“ which their own valour, he faid, he was fure would maintain, both againft
the French, and their mad friends.” He was not miftaken in his favour¬
able opinion of their war abilities, for they ranged themfelves fo well, that
the enemy found it impracticable to attack them, without fuftaining far
greater lofs than they are known to hazard.—HC fupplied them with necef-
faries, and fent them fafe at length to a friendly town, at a confiderable
diftance, where they joined fevcral other traders, from different places,
and were foon after fafely efcorted to Savanah.

It is furprifing how thofe hardy men evaded the dangers they were fur-
rounded with, efpecially at the beginning, and with fo little lofs. One of
1. them.

264 An Account of the Mulkohge Nation.

them told me, that while a party of the favages were on a corn-houfe fcaf-
fold, painting themfelves red and black, to give the cowardly blow to him
and his companions, an old woman overheard them concerting their bloody
deflgn, and fpeedily info'rmed him of the threatening danger: he mentioned
the intended place of meeting to his friends, and they immediately fet off,
one this way, and another that, to prevent a purfuit, and all met fafe, to
the great regret of the Chriftian French and their red hirelings. I was in¬
formed that another confiderable trader, who lived near a river, on
the outftde of a town, where he ftood fecure in the affeCtion of his favage
brethren, received a vifit from two lufty ill-looking ftrangers, without
being difeovered by any of the inhabitants. They were anointed with
bear’s oil, and quite naked, except a narrow flip of cloth for breeches, and
a light blanket. When they came in, they looked, around, wild and con-
fufed, not knowing how to execute the French coromifiion, confidently
with their own fafety, as they brought no arms, left it fliould have difeo¬
vered their intentions, and by that means expofed them to danger. But
they feated themfelves near the door, both to prevent his, efcape, and watch
a favourable opportunity to perpetrate their murdering fcheme. His white
domeftics were a little before gone into the woods; and he and his Indian wife
were in the ftorehoufe, where there chanced to be no arms of defence, which
made his efcape the more hazardous. He was nearly in the fame light drefs,
as that of his vifitants, according to the mode of their doineftic living:
he was about to give them feme tobacco, when their countenances growing
more gloomy and fierce, were obferved by his wife, as well as the mil-
chievous direction of their eyes j prefently therefore as they bounded up, the
one to lay hold of the white man, and the other of an ax that lay on the
floor, (he feized it at the fame inftant, and cried, “ hulband fight ftrong,
and run off, as becomes a good warrior.” The favage ftrove to lay
hold of him, till the other could difengage himfelf from the lharp ftrug-
gle the woman held with him ; but by a quick prefence of mind, the huf-
band decoyed his purfuer round a large ladder that joined the loft, and
being ftrong and fwift-footed, he there, took the advantage of his too
eager adverlary, dalhed him to the ground, and ran out of the houfe,
full fpeed to the river, bounded into it, foon made the oppofite Ihore,
and left them at the ftore-houfe, from whence the woman, as a trufty
friend, drove them off, with the utmpft defpight,—her family was her

protection.

An Account of the Mulkohgc Nation . 265

■proteflion. The remaining part of that day, he ran a great diftance
through the woods, called at night on fuch white people, as he ima¬
gined his fafety allowed him, was joined by four of them, and went toge¬
ther to Penfacola. Within three or four days-march of that place, the
lands, they told me, were in general, either boggy and low, or confiding
of fandy pine-barrens. Although they were almoft naked, and had lived
for many days on the produce of the woods, yet the daftardly Spa¬
niards were fo hardened againft the tender feelings of nature in favour of the
diftreffed, who now took fandtuary under the Spanilh flag, as to refufe them
every kind of a diftance ■, contrary to the hofpitable cuftom of the red la¬
vages, even towards thofe they devote to the fire. A north-country Ikipper,
who rode in the harbour, was equally diverted of the bowels of companion
toward them, notwithftanding their preding entreaties, and offers of bills
on very refpedtable perfons in Charles-Town. But the commandant of the
place foon inftruded him very feelingly in the common laws of huma¬
nity } for on fome pretext, he feized the veffel and cargo, and left the nar¬
row-hearted mifer to fliift for himfelf, and return home as he could: thofe un¬
fortunate traders were kindly treated however by the head-man of an adjacent
town of the Apalahche Indians, who being a confiderable dealer, fupplied
them with every thing they flood in need of, till, in time, they were recalled;
for which they foon very thankfully paid him and the red; of his kind fa¬
mily, with handfome prefents, as a token of their friendlhip and gratitude.

In the mean while, fome of the eloquent old traders continued in their towns,
where the red flag of defiance was hung up day and night, as the French
had no intereft there : and, in a few other towns, fome of our thoughtlefs
young men, who were too much attached to the Indian life, from an early
purfuit in that wild and unlimited country, chofe to run any rifk, rather
than leave their favourite fcenes of pleafure. In the day-time, they kept in.
the moft unfrequented places, and ufually returned at night to their friend’s
houfe: and they followed that dangerous method of living a confiderable
time, in different places, without any mifchance. One of them told me,
that one evening, when he was returning to his wife’s houfe on horfc-back,
before the ufual time, he was overtaken by a couple of young warriors,
who pranced up along afide of him. They fpoke very kindly according to
their cuftom, that they might fhed blood, like wolves, without hazarding
their own carcafes. As neither of them had any weapons, except a long
' knife hanging round their neck in a (heath, they were afraid to attack him, on
Mm fo

266 An Account of the Mufkohgc Nation.

fo hazardous a lay. Their queftions, cant language, and difcompofed coun¬
tenances, informed him of their bloody intentions, and cautioned him from
falling into any of their wily ftratagems, which all cowards are dextrous in
forming. When they came to a boggy cane-branch, they ftrove to per-
fuade him to alight, and reft a little, but finding their labour in vain, they
got down : one prepared a club to kill him, and the other a fmall frame of
fplit canes tied together with bark, to bear his fcalp—feeing this, he fet off
with the bravado whoop, through the high lands, and as he rode a fwift
horfe, he left them out of fight in an inftant. He took a great fweep round,
to avoid an after-chafe. At night, he went to the town, got fire-arms, and
provifions, and foon arrived fafe in Georgia.

Other inftances may be related, but thefe will fuffice to fhew how fer-
viceable fuch hardy and expert men would be to their country, as here¬
tofore, if our Indian trade was properly regulated ; and how exceedingly
preferable the tenth part of their number would prove againft boafted regular
troops, in the woods. Though the britifh legions are as warlike and formi¬
dable in the field of battle, as any troops whatever, as their martial bravery
has often teftified ; yet in fome fituations they would be infignificant and help-
lefs. Regular bred foldiers, in the American woods, would be of little fer-
vice. The natives and old inhabitants, by being trained to arms from their
infancy, in their wood-land fphere of life, could always furround them,
and fweep them off entirely, with little damage to themfelves. In fuch a
cale, field-pieces are a mere farce. The abettors of arbitrary power, who
are making great advances through the whole Britifh empire, to force the
people to decide this point, and retrieve their conftitutional rights and liber¬
ties, would do well to confider this. Is it poffible for tyranny to be fo
weak and blind, as to flatter its corrupt greatnefs with the wild notion
of placing a defpotic military power of a few thoufand regular troops, over
millions of the Americans, who are trained to arms of defence, from the
time they are able to carry them—generally inured to dangers, and all of
them pofiTeffing, in a high degree, the focial virtues of their manly free-
minded fore-fathers, who often bled in the noble caufe of liberty, when
hateful tyranny perfifted in ftretching her rod of opprefiion over their repin¬
ing country ? Tyrants are obftinately deaf, and blind; they will fee and
hear only through the falfe medium of felf-interefted court-flatterers, and,
inftead of redrcffing the grievances of the people, have fometimes openly
7 defpifed

An Account of the Muikohge Nation. 267

defpifed and infulted them, for even exhibiting their modeft prayers at the
foot of the throne, for a reftoration of their rights and privileges. Some
however have been convinced in the end they were wrong, and have juftly
fuffered by the anathematizing voice of God and a foederal union. That
“ a prince can do no ill” is a flat contradidlion of reafon and experience,
and of the Englilh Magna Charta.

Soon after Weft-Florida was ceded to Great-Britain, two warlike
towns of the Koo-a-fab te Indians removed from near the late danger¬
ous Alabahma French garrifon, to the Choktah country about twenty-
five miles below Tumbikbe—a ftrong wooden fortrefs, fituated on the
weftern fide of a high and firm bank, overlooking a narrow deep point
of the river of Mobille, and difiant from that capital, one hundred
leagues. The difcerning old war-chieftain of this remnant, perceived that
the proud Muikohge, infteadof reforming their conduit towards us, by our
mild remonftrances, grew only more impudent by our lenity; therefore
being afraid of iharing the juftly deferved fate of the others, he wifely
withdrew to this fituation i as the French could not poffibly fupply
them, in cafe we had exerted ourfelves, either in defence of our properties, or
in revenge of the blood they had filed. But they were foon forced to return
to their former place of abode, on account of the partiality of fome of them
to their former confederates 5 which proved lucky in its confequences, to
the traders, and our fouthern colonies : for, when three hundred warriors of
the Muikohge were on their way to the Choktah to join them in a war againft
us, two Kooalahte horfemen, as allies, were allowed to pafs through their
ambulcade in the evening, and they gave notice of the impending danger.
Thefe Kooafahte Indians, annually fanflify the mulberries by a public
oblation, before which, they are not to be eaten; which they fay, is ac¬
cording to their ancient law.

I am allured by a gentleman of character, who traded a long time near
the late Alebahma garrifon, that within fix miles of it, live the remains of
feven Indian nations, who ufually converfed with each other in their own
different dialedts, though they underftood the Muikohge language -, but
being naturalized, they were bound to obferve the laws and cuftoms of the
main original body. Thefe reduced, broken tribes, who have helped to
multiply the Muikohge to a dangerous degree, have alfo a fixed oral tradi¬
tion, that they formerly came from South-America, and, after fundry ftrug-
M m 2 gles

2(58 An Account of the Mufkohge Nation*

gles in defence of liberty, fettled their prefent abode: but the Mofkohge
record themfelves to be terra: filii, and believe their original predecefTors
came from the weft, and refided under ground, which feems to be a faint
image of the original formation of mankind out of the earth, perverted
by time, and the ufual arts of prieft-craft.

It will be fortunate, if the late peace between the Mufkohge and Choktah,.
through the mediation of a fuperintendant, doth not foon affeft the fecurity of
Georgia, and Eaft and Weft-Florida, efpecially fhould it continue long, and
Britain and Spain engage in a war againft each other : for Spain will fupply
them with warlike ftores, and in concert, may without much oppofition, re¬
take the Floridas ; which they, feem to have much at heart. A Cuba veflel,
in the year 1767, which feemed to be coafting on purpofe to meet fome of
the Mufkohge, found a camp of them almoft oppofite to the Apalache old
fields, and propofed purchafing thofe lands from them ; in order to fecure
their liberties, and, at the fame time, gratify the inherent, ardent defire
they always had to oppofe the Engliflv nation. After many artful flourifties,.
well adapted to foothe the natives into a compliance on account of the
reciprocal advantages they propofed, fome of the Muikohge confented to
go in the veflel to the Havannah, and there finifh the friendly bargain.
They went, and at the time propofed, were fent back to- the fame place,
but, as they are very clofe in their fecrets, the traders know not the re-
fult of that affair} but when things in Europe require, time will difclofe it.

As the Mufkohge were well known to be very mifchievous to our bar¬
rier-inhabitants, and to be an over-match for the numerous and fickle Chok¬
tah, the few warlike Chikkafah, by being put in the fcale with thefe, would
in a few years, have made the Mufkohge kick the beam. Thus our
fouthern colonifts might have fat in pleafure, and fecurity, under their fig-
tiees, and in their charming arbours of fruitful grape-vines. But now,
they are uncertain whether they plant for themfelves, or for the red favages,
who frequently take away by force or Health, their horfes and other effefts.
The Mufkohge chieftain, called the “ Great Mortar,” abetted the Cheerake
againft us, as hath been already noticed, and frequently, with his warriors
and relations, carried them as good a fupply of ammunition, as the French
of the Alebahmah-garrifon could well fpare : for by order of their govern,
ment, they were bound to referve a certain quantity, for any unforefeen occa-

fion:

An Account of the Muflcohge Nation '. 269

lion that might happen. If they had been poffeft of more, they would
have given with a liberal hand, to enable them to carry on a war againft
us, and they almoft effected their earned wilhes, when the Englith little
expedled it; for as foon as the watchful officer of the garrifon, was in¬
formed by his trully and well inftrudted red difciple, the Great Mor¬
tar, that the Cheerake were on the point of declaring againft the En-
glilh, he law the confequence, and fent a pacquet by a Mulkohge runner,
to Tumbikbe-fort in the Choktah country, which was forwarded by
another, and foon delivered to the governor of New-Orleans: the con¬
tents informed him of the favourable opportunity that offered for the
French to fettle themfelves in the Cheerake country, where the late-
Fort-Loudon flood, near the conSux of Great Telliko and Tennafe-rivers,.
and fo diftrefs our fouthern colonies, as the body of the Cheerake,-
Mulkohge, Choktah, Aquahpa, and the upper Miffifippi-Indians headed
by the French, would be able to maintain a certain fuccefsful war againft
us, if well fupplied with ammunition. Their deliberations were Ihort—they
foon fent off a large pettiaugre, fufficiently laden with warlike ftores,
and decoying prefents; and in obedience to the orders the crew had re¬
ceived of making all the difpatch they poffibly could, in the third moon of
their departure from New Orleans, they arrived within a hundred and twenty
computed miles of thofe towns that are a little above the unhappy Fort-
Loudon : there they were luckily Hopped in their mifkhievous career, by a
deep and dangerous cataraft; the waters of which rolled down with a pro¬
digious rapidity, dalhed againft the oppofite rocks, and from thence rulhed
off with impetuous violence, on a quarter-angled courfe. It appeared fo
lhocking and unfurmountable to the montieurs, that after Haying thete
a confiderable time, in the vain expedition of feeing forne of their friends,
necelfity forced them to return back to New Orleans, about a 600 com¬
puted miles,, to their inconfolable dilappointment.

Thefe circumftances are now well known to our colonies : and, if our
ftate policy had not fufficiently difcovered itfelf of late, it would appear
not a little furprifing that the Great Mortar, lhould have fuch influence
on the great beloved man, (fo the Indians term the fuperintendant) as
to move him, at a congrefs in Augufta, to write by that bitter enemy of
the Englifh name, a conciliating letter to the almoft-vanquifhed and de-
fponding Choktah—for wljere the conquerors have not an oblique point in

270 An Account of the Mulkohge Nation.

view, the conquered are always the fird who humbly fue for peace. This
beloved epiftle, that accompanied the eagles-tails, fwans- wings, white beads,
white pipes, and tobacco, was fent by a white interpreter, and Mejbe-
Jhecke, a Mufkohge war-chieftain, to the perfidious Choktah, as a ftrong
confirmation of peace. Without doubt- it was a mailer droke of court-
policy, to drive to gain fo many expert red auxiliaries •, and plainly fhcws
how extremely well he deferves his profitable place of public trull. I
am allured by two refpeflable, intelligent, old Indian traders, G. G. and
L. M. G. Elq-, that they frequently difluaded him from ever dab-
ling in fuch muddy waters ■, for the confequence would unavoidably prove
fatal to our contiguous colonies. This was confirmed by a recent in-
ftance—the late Cheerake war, which could not have commenced, if the
Mulkohge and Cheerake had not been reconciled, by the afiiduous en¬
deavours of - an avaricious, and felf-interelted governor. If any reader
reckons this too bold, or perfonal, I requelt him to perufe a performance,
entitled, “ A modell reply to his Excellency J. G. Efq-,” printed in Charles¬
town, in the year 1750, in which every material circumllance is fuffici-
ently authenticated.

When we confider the defencelefs Hate, and near fituation of our three fou-
thern barrier colonies to the numerous Mulkohge and Choktah—what favour¬
able opinion can charity reafonably induce us to form of the continued train
of wrong meafures the managers of our Indian affairs have lludioufly pur-
lued, by officioufly mediating, and reconciling the deep-rooted enmity
which fubfilled between thofe two mifehievous nations ? If they could not,
confident with the tenour of their political office, encourage a conti¬
nuance of the war, they might have given private indruflions to fome
difereet trader to drive to influence them, fo as to continue it.

It is excufable in clergymen that live in England to perfuade us to
ipeuleate, and endeavour to promote peace and good will, between the
favages of the remote defarts of America ; efpecially if they employ their
time in fpiritual affairs, to which they ought to be entirely devoted, and
not as courtiers, in the perplexing labyrinths of date affairs: but what can
be faid of thofe dates-men, who indead of faithfully guarding the lives and
privileges of valuable fubjefts, extend mercy to their murderers, who have

An Account of the Muflcohge Nation. 271

a long time wantonly Ihed innocent blood, and fometimes with dreadful tor¬
tures ? The blood cries aloud to the avenging God, to caufe juftice to be
executed on their execrable heads: for a while they may efcape due punilh-
ment, but at laft it will fall heavy upon them.

When the fuperintendant’s deputy convened mod of the Mufkohge
head-men, in order to write a friendly mediating letter to the Chikkafah,
in behalf of the Mufkohge, the Great Mortar, animated with a bitter
refentment againft any thing t ran faffed by any of the Britilh nation,
introduced a confiderable number of his relations, merely to difconcert this
plan. The letter, and ufual Indian tokens of peace and friendfhip, were
however carried up by a Chikkafah trader : but the Great Mortar timed
it fo well, that he foon fet off after the other with ninety warriors, till he
arrived within 150 miles of the Chikkafah country, which was half way
from the weftern barriers of his own; there he encamped with 83, and fent
off feven of the {launched to furprize and kill whomfoever they could.
Two days after the exprefs was delivered, they treacheroufly killed two
young women, as they were hoeing in the field •, all the people being off
their guard, on account of the late friendly tokens they received, and the
affurance of the white man that there were no vifible tracks of any perfon
on the long trading path he had come. This was the beginning of May,
in the year 1768, a few hours after I had fet off for South-Carolina. As
foon as the fculking barbarians had difcharged the contents of their guns
into their innocent vidlims, they tomohawked them, and with their long
fbarp knives, took off the fcalps, put up the death ivkoo-wboop-wboop, and
bounded away in air oblique courfe, to fhun the dreaded purfuit. The
Chikkafah foon put up their (brill war-whoop, to arm and purfue, and
fixty fet off on horfe-back, full fpeed. They over-(hot that part of
the woods the enemy were mod likely to have fled through ; and four
young fprightly Chikkafah warriors who outran the reft, at laft difcovered,
and intercepted them ;—they (hot dead the Great Mortar’s brother, who was
the leader, fcalped him, and retook one of the young women’s fcalps thac
was fattened to his girdle. Three continued the chafe, and the fourth in
a fhort time overtook them : foon afterward, they came up again with the
enemy, at the edge of a large cane-fwamp, thick-warped with vines, and china
briers ; there they flopped, and were at firft in doubt of their being fome of

their

•272 -An Account if the Muflcohge Nation*

their own company : the purfued foon difcovered them, and immediately in-
fwamped, whereupon the four were forced to decline the attack, the difad-
vantage being as four to eight in an open engagement. In a few day*
after, I fell in with them; their gloomy and fierce countenances cannot
be exprefied-, and I had the uncourted honour of their company, three
different times before I could reach my deftined place, on account of a very
uncommon and fudden flow of the rivers, without any rain. Between fun-
fet and eleven o’clock the next day, the river, that was but barely our height
in the evening, was fwelled -to the prodigious height of twenty-five feet per¬
pendicular, and fwept along with an impetuous force.

It may not be improper here to mention the method we commonly ufe
in crofTing-deep rivers.—When we expeft high rivers, each company of
traders carry a canoe, made of tannned leather, the (ides over-lapped about
three fingers breadth, and well fewed with three feams. Around the gun¬
nels, which are made of fapplings, are ftrong loop-holes, for large deer-(kin
firings to hang down both the Tides : with two of thefe, is fecurely tied to the
ftem and flern, a well-fhaped fappling, for a keel, and in like manner
the ribs. Thus, they ufually rig out a canoe, fit to carry over ten horfe
loads at once, in the fpace of half an hour •, the apparatus is afterwards
commonly hidden with great care, on the oppofite fhore. Few take
the trouble to paddle the canoe ; for, as they are commonly hardy, and
alfo of an amphibious nature, they ufually jump into the river, with their
leathern barge a-head of them, and thruft it through the deep part of
the water, to the oppofite fhore. When we ride only with a few lug¬
gage horfes, as was o.ur cafe at Sip-fe, or “ Poplar,” the above-mentioned
high-fwelled river, we make a frame of dry pines, which we tie together
with ftrong vines, well twilled; when we have raifed it to be fufficiently
buoyant, we load and paddle it acrofs the flillefl part of the water we can
conveniently find, and afterward fwim our horfes together, we keeping at
a little diflance below them-

At the time we firfl began to fearch for convenient floating timber,
•I chanced to ftand at the end of a dry tree, overfet by a hurricane,
within three feet of a great rattle fnake, that was coiled, and on his
watch of felf-defcnce, under thick herbage. I foon efpied, and killed
7 him.

An Account of the Mulkohge Nation. 273

killed him. Bin an aftrologer, of twenty years Banding among the In¬
dians, immediately declared with ftrong affeverations, we Ihould foon be
expofed to imminent danger ; which he expatiated upon largely, from his
imagined knowledge of a combination of iecond caufcs in the celeftial re¬
gions, afluating every kind of animals, vegetables, &c. by their fubtil
and delegated power. I argued in vain to hulh his groundless fears: how¬
ever, while the raft was getting ready, another gentleman, to quiet his
timorous apprehenfions, accompanied me with fire-arms, pretty near the
path in the beforementioned cane-fwamp, and we (laid there a confiderable
while, at a proper diftance apart—at laft we heard the well-mimicked voice
of partridges, farther off than our fight could difcovcr, on which one of
us ftruck up the whoop of friendfhip and indifference; for I knew that the
beft way of arguing on fuch occafions, was by a firmnefs of countenance and
behaviour. I then went near to my companion, and faid, our cunning man
was an Aberdeen wizard, as he had fo exaftly foretold the event. The
favages had both difeovered our tracks, and heard the found of the ax.
We foon met them ; they were nine of the mifehievous Ohcbai town,
who had feparated from the reft of their company. We converfed a little
while together upon our arms, and in this manner exchanged provifions
with each other—then we went down to the bank of the river, where
they opened their packs, fpread out fome hairy deer and bear fkins
with the flefliy fide undermoft, and having firft placed on them their heavy
things, and then the lighter, with the guns which lay uppermoft, each
made two knots with the fhanks of a fkin, and in the fpace of a few mi¬
nutes, they had their leathern barge afloat, which they foon thruft before
them to the other fhore, with a furprifingly fmall deviation from a direct
courfe, confidering the ftrong current of the water. When our aftrologer
faw them fafe off, he wifhed them a fpeedy journey home, without being
expofed to the neceffity of any delay. He was foon after carried fafe over
on our raft, though once he almoft over-fee it, either by reafon of the ab-
fence, or difturbance, of his mind. Had he contrafted a fever, from the
impending dangers his knowledge allured him were not yet paft, the cold
fweat he got when left by himfelf, while we were returning with the raft,
and afterward fwimming with the horfes, mult have contributed a good
deal to the cure. Soon afterwards, we came in fight of their camp in
a little fpot of clear land, furrounded by a thick cane-fwamp, where
fome traders formerly had been killed by the Choktah. Our aftrologer
N n urged

274 An Account of the Mufkohge Nation.

urged the necefiity of proceeding a good way farther, to avoid the danger.
I endeavoured to convince him by feveral recent inftances, that a timorous
conduct was a great incentive to the bafe-minded favages, to do an injury,
rot expecting any defence; while an open, free, and relolute behaviour, a Ihow
of taking pleafure in their company, and a difcreet care of our fire-arms,
feldom failed to gain the good will of fuch as are not engaged in aftual war
againft our country: he acquiefced, as I engaged to fit next to the Indian
camp, which was about a dozen yards apart from our’s. He chofe his place
pretty near to mine, but in the evening, I told him, that as I did not under-
ftand the Mufkohge dialeft, nor they much of the Chikkafah language, I
would give him the opportunity of diverting himfelf at leifure with them,
whilft on account of the fatigues of the day, I would repofe myfelf clofe at
the root of a neighbouring tree. This method of encamping in different
places, on hazardous occafions, is by far the fafeft way. I told them, be¬
fore my removal to my night quarters, that he was almoft their countryman,
by a refidence of above twenty years among them,—their chieftain therefore
readily addreffed him, and according to what I expefled, gave me an op¬
portunity of decently retiring. But when he expedted a formal reply,
according to their ufual cuftom, our aftrological interpreter fpoke only a
few words, but kept pointing to the river, and his wet clothes, and
to his head, fhaking it two or three times; thereby informing them of
the great danger he underwent in crofling the water, which gave him fo
violent a head-ach, as to prevent his fpeaking with any pleafure. I
laughed, and foon after endeavoured to perfuade him to go over a little
while to their camp, as I had done, and by that means, he might know
better thetr prefent difpofition s he replied with a doleful accent, that he was
already too near them, to the great danger of his life, which he now too late
faw expofed, by believing my doftrine of bringing them to obferve friendly
meafures, inflead of puihing beyond them as he had earneftly propofed. I
afked him how he could reafonably fear, or cxpeft to fhun a fudden death, no
account of his knowledge of the ftarry influences, and fkill in expound¬
ing dreams, and efpecially as he feemed firmly to believe the deity had
pre-determined the exaft time of every living creature’s continuance here r
upon this he prevaricated, and told me, that as I knew nothing of
aftrology, nor of the ufefu-1 and fkilful expofition of important dreams,
neither believed any thing of witches and wizards being troublefome
and hurtful to others, he could not imagine I believed any thing of a
divine providence or a rcfurreftion of the dead; which were evidently,,
5 alike

An Account of the Mulkohge Nation • 275

alike true, as appeared both by divine writ, and the united confent of
every ancient nation. He faid, people were ordered to watch and
pray; I therefore could not be ruled by the fcripture, for why did
I go to bed fo foon, and leave all that trouble to him. I told him*
I wilhed he might by prayer, obtain a calm compofure of mind.
He faid, I was the caufe of all his uneafinefs, by inducing him, con¬
trary to his over night’s bloody dream, to lie fo near thofe wolfilh fa-
vages. Then, in an angry panic, he curfed me, and faid, he Ihould not
that night have prayed there, only that the devil tempted him to be¬
lieve my damned lies, and fin againft the divine intimations he had re¬
ceived juft before.

Within half a day’s ride of Augufta, I met the gentlemen who were ap¬
pointed to meet certain head-men of the Mulkohge, to run a line, be¬
tween Georgia and the Mulkohge country. The fuperintendant’s deputy
before-mentioned, accompanying them ; I then informed him of the bad
fituation of the Indian trade, both in the Chikkafah, and Mulkohge na¬
tions—The caufe thereof—The dangerous policy of having reconciled thofe
jarring warlike favages—the ill difpofition of the latter toward us,—and
that it was the opinion of all the traders (one excepted) that nothing, but
their hot war with the Choktah, prevented them from executing their mif-
chievous intentions againft us. I faid this to the commifiary before the
feveral gentlemen; but his conduit, and that of his brother officer in the
Chikkafah country, were no way correfpondent to the advice. While he
benefited the ungrateful Mulkohge, and gave them a plea to injure
the traders, he was free from perfonal danger, from the red quarter;
but one night at camp, after the line had been, at the friendly
and artful perfuafions of G. G. Efq; run above twenty miles beyond
the fouthern limits agreed upon, he almoft fatally experienced the
effedls of their revengeful temper; which cannot be rellrained when
they imagine themfelves really injured, and afterwards infulted: for
as he was chiding a noted warrior with lharp language, the favage
leaped up, feized the other’s gun, cocked, and prefented it againft his
breaft -, but luckily he could not difeharge it, as it was double-trickcr’d,-
contrary to the model of their fmooth-bored guns. The public prints,
however, echoed the fuccefs of our direftors of Indian affairs, on this
important occafion; though it was entirely owing to the abilities and
N n * faithful

ifb An Account of the Mulkohge Nation.

faithful application, firft, of Mr. G. G. and afterwards of Mr. L. M. G. which
the deputy almoft prevented .by his imprudent conduct, that had nearly
cOft him alfo his life, and endangered the public tranquility.

In the year 1749, when I was going to Charles-town, under the provincial
feal of South-Carolina, with a party of the Chikkafah Indians, the fmall-pox
attacked them, not far from the Mulkohge country ; which becoming general
through the camp, I was under the neceffity of fetting off by mylelf, between
Mint river, and that of the Okmulgeh. I came up with a large camp of Muf-
kohge traders, returning from the Englilh fettlements: the gentlemen told
me, they had been lately affured at Augufta by the Cheerake traders, that
above a hundred and twenty of the French Shawano might be daily ex¬
pected near that place, to cut off the Englilh traders, and plunder their
camps, and cautioned me, with, much earneftnefs at parting, to keep a
watchful eye during that day’s march. After having rode fifteen miles,
about ten o’clock, I difcovered ahead through the trees, an Indian amend¬
ing a fteep hill: he perceived me at the fame inftant, for they are ex¬
tremely watchful on fuch dangerous attempts—Ambufcade is their fa¬
vourite method of attack. As the company followed their leader in a line,
each at the diftance of a few yards from the other, all foon appeared
in view. As foon as I difcovered the foremoft, I put up the (hrill
whoop of friendlhip, and continually feemed to look earneftly behind
me, till we approached near to each other, in order to draw their atten¬
tion from me, and fix it that way, as fuppofing me to be the foremoft of
a company ftill behind. Five or fix foon ran at full fpeed on each fide of
the path, and blocked up two vallies, which happened to be at the place
®f our meeting, to prevent my efcape. They feemed as if their defign
was to attack me with their barbed arrows, left they ihould alarm my fup-
pofed companions by the report of their guns. I obferved thal inftead of
carrying their bow and quiver over their Ihoulder, as is the travelling
cuftom, they held the former in their left hand, bent, and fome arrows. I ap¬
proached and addreffed them, and endeavoured to appear quite indifferent
at their hoftile arrangement. While I held my gun ready in my right hand
about five yards diftant from them, their leader who flood foremoft came
and ftruck my breaft with the but-end of one of my piftols, which I had
in my left hand : I told him with fhat vehemence of fpecch, which is al¬
ways requifite on fuch an occafion, that I was an Englilh Chikkafah •, and
informed him by expreffive geftures that there were two tens of Chik-
5 kalah

An Account of the Mufkohge Nation. 277

kafah warriors, and more than half that number of women, befides chil¬
dren, a little behind, juft beyond the firft hill. At this news, they ap¬
peared to be much confufed, as it was unexpected for fuch a number of
warlike enemies to be fo near at hand. This Shawano partly confided only
of twenty-three middle fized, but ftrong bodied men, with large heads and
.broad flat crowns, and four tall young perfons, whom I conjeftured to be of
the Cheerake nation. I fpoke a little to a hair-lipped warrior among them,
who told me he lived in Tukkafehebe, a northern town of that -country. The
leader whifpered fomething to his vvaicer, which, in like manner, was com¬
municated to the reft, and then they all paffed by me, with fullen looks and
glancing eyes. I kept my guard till they were out of arrow-fhot, when
I went on at a feemingly indifferent pace. But, as foon out of their
view, I rode about feventy miles with great fpeed, to avoid the danger
of a purfuit, as I imagined they would be highly enraged againft me for
their double difappointment. About fun-fet of the fame day, I dif-
covered more Indians a-head ; but, inttead of founding the ufual whoop
of defiance, I went on flowly, and filently, a little way, reafoning with
myfelf about the fafeft method in fo dangerous a fituation : I had appre-
henfions of their being another party of the Shawano company, feparated
in that manner to avoid a purfuit; which otherwife might be very eafy,
by the plainnefs of their tracks, through the long grafs and herbage.
But, at the critical time, when I had concluded to ufe no chivalry, but
give them leg-bail inftead of it, by leaving my baggage-horfes, and making
for a deep fwamp, I difeovered them to be a confiderable body of the Muf¬
kohge head-men, returning home with prelents from Charles Town, which
they carried chiefly on their backs. The wolf-king (as the traders termed
him) our old fteady friend of the Amooklalah Town, near the late Ale-
bahma, came foremoft, harneffed like a jack-afs, with a faddle on his
back, well girt over one Ihoulder, and acrofs under the other. We feemed
equally glad to meet each other; they, to hear how affairs flood in their
country, as well as on the trading path ; and I to find, that inftead of bit¬
ter-hearted foes, they were friends, and would fecure my retreat from any
purfuit that might happen. I told them the whole circumftances attending
my meeting the Shawano, with their being conducted by our deceitful
Cheerake friends, who were defirous of fpoiling the old beloved white
path, by making it red -, and earneftly perfuaded them to be on their
guard that night, as I imagined the enemy had purfued me when they

found

278 An Account of the Mufkohge Nation.

found I had eluded their bloody intention. After a long converfation to¬
gether, I advifed them to go home through the woods, to prevent a larger
body of the lurking enemy from fpoiling them, and their beloved country,
by the lofs of fo many old beloved men, and noted warriors. I faid this,
to roufe them againft the Cheerake; well knowing that one pack of wolves,
was the bed watch againft another of the fame kind. They thanked me for
the friendly notice I gave them, and the care I fhewed for their fafety, and
engaged me to call the next day at a hunting camp, where was a war-
leader, the fon of the dog-king of the Huphale-Town, with a confiderable
number of their people, and defire them to remove with all fpeed to
their camp, at the place they then fixed on. We fmoked tobacco, and
parted well pleafed. According to promife, I went the next day to the
camp, and delivered their meffage, which was readily complied with. The
Shawano whom I had eluded, after rambling about, and by viewing the
frnoke of fires from the tops of high hills and trees, and carefully liftening
to the report of guns, fell in with two Chikkafah hunters, who were
adopted relations of the Mufkohge, and killed, and fcalped them, and then
ran off to the northern towns of the Cheerake. This was the true and foie
caufe of the laft war between the Mufkohge and Cheerake: and the fol¬
lowing account of the caufe of thofe nations entering into amity with each
other, will, on the ftridteft enquiry, be found as true. The caufe and
direful effefts are ftill feelingly known to great numbers of the fuffering
inhabitants, which I infert by way of caution to ftates-men hereafter.

As the Indians have no public faith to fecure the lives of friendly
meffengers in war-time, their wars are perpetuated from one generation
to another, unlefs they are ended by the mediation of fome neutral party.
A very polifhed courtier prefided in South Carolina, who was faid
to have caft a very earneft eye on the fuppofed profits of the Cheerake
trade, which were much leffened by the Mufkohge war; and, in or¬
der to eftablifh it at its former value, fo as to be worth fome hazard, he
exerted himfelf to reconcile the Mufkohge and Cheerake. If he fucceeded,
he was fure to be fomething in pocket, and could report at home, the pro¬
found peace he had effected between thofe nations by his unwearied endea¬
vours. He accordingly applied to fome of the moft intelligent and lead¬
ing traders among thofe warring favages, and attempted to perfuade them

by

An Account of the Mufkohge Nation. 27y

by the ruling motive of mutual intereft, to be reconciled through his bro¬
therly mediation. Though the Cheerake were great lofers in the war, yet
the furviving relations of thofe who had been killed without equal revenge
of blood, were at firft inflexible, and deaf to the mediation: but, by the ora¬
tory of fome of their own fpeakers who had not Suffered, connefted with our
traders perfuafions, each feparate family at laft confented to meet their ene¬
mies, at the time and place appointed by brotherly requeft, and there bury
the bloody tomohawk under ground, and fmoke together, out of the
friendly white pipe. But, as the Mufkohge were conquerors, and fre¬
quently returned home in their favourite and public triumphant manner,
and had then no mifchievous views againft the Englifh, as at prefent, it was
a very difficult tafk to reconcile them to our beloved man’s pacific mea-
fures : their head-men had great fway over the ambitious, and young riling
warriors, and by the former manly conduit of South-Carolina, in obtaining
fpeedy redrefs for every material injury, the more fenflble and honeft par.t
of the old leading men were as much averfe to peace, as the light-headed
warriors. They well knew the fickle and ungovernable temper of their
yqung men, and ambitious leaders, when they had no red enemies to- war
with, to obtain higher war-titles by fcalps—and their wifdom faw at a dis¬
tance, the dangerous confequences that muft attend a general peace: for a
considerable time, therefore, they highly inveighed,, and firmly guarded
againft it. But when a man’s private intereft coincides with what he intends
to accomplifh, he is affiduous and more intent to efFetft it. This was veri¬
fied by the unwearied diligence of the prime magiftrate alluded to; he
knew the Indians could not kill fo many deer and beaver in the time of war
as of peace, and by his addrefs, he perfuaded Several of the leading traders,
even contrary to their own outward Security and inward choice, to exert their
ftrongeft endeavours with the Mufkohge for a reconciliation with the Chee¬
rake. The chief of thofe trading gentlemen, who unwillingly involved
himfelf in this, pernicious affair, was the humane and intelligent L.
M‘G—1—wr—, Efq. Each had their leffons, to Set forth the reciprocal ad¬
vantages of the contending parties, by Such a coalition-, bur it was finifhed
by that gentleman’s earneft and well-timed application, connefled with his
great natural fenfe, and tafy flow of their own bold figurative way of ex-
preffion—and their favourable opinion of his fteady, honeft principles.. Since
that unlucky period, he has as often lamented his fuccefs in that affair, as the
difeeming hpneft rulers of the Mufkohge oppofed it. He told me, that

when.

280 An Account of the Mufkohge Nation.

when he was foliciting fome of the head-men to comply with the fraternal
propofals of our kindly ruler, he unexpectedly met with a very (harp repulfe-,
—for, when he had finifhed his oration, on the difadvantages of frowning
war, and the advantages of fmiling peace, an old war-leader retorted every
paragraph he had fpoken, and told him, that till then he alwayshad reckoned
the Englifh a very wife people, but now he was forry to find them unwife, in
the molt material point: adding, “ You have made yourfelf very poor, by
fweating, far and near, in our fmoky town-houfes and hot-houfes, only to
make a peace between us and the Cheerake, and thereby enable our young
mad people to give you, in a fhort time, a far worfe fweat than you have yet
had, or may now expeft. But, forafmuch as the great Englifh chieftain in
Charles Town, is driving hard to have it fo, by ordering you to fhut your
eyes, and ftop your ears, left the power of conviftion fhould reach your
heart, we will not any more oppofe you in this mad fcheme. We (hall be
filent concerning it; otherwife, I fhould be as mad as you, if I reafoned
any more with one who is wilfully blind and deaf.”

A number of their warriors met at Charles Town, at the time ap¬
pointed : their high-ftationed Englifh friend then took a great deal of pains
to inform them of the mutual advantages, that would accrue to them, by a
firm peace, and he convinced their fenfes of it, by a vifible proof-,
for he borrowed from one of them an arrow, and holding each end
of it in his hands, he readily broke it, which furprized none of the
red fpeftators, except the owner,—they did not then regard it as a fym-
bolical performance, but a boyifh aftion. He again requefted from the
fame young warrior, the loan of his remaining fheaf of arrows, who
reluftantly gave them, as he feared they would all fingly fare the fate of
the former. But, when he held the bundle by each end in his hands, and
could only bend it a little, he revived the watchful owner, and pleafingly
furprized the attentive favages, as he thereby had ftrongly demon-
ftrated to them, that vis unita fortior , upon which he expatiated, in eafy fine
language, to the great joy of his red audience. By fuch evidence, they
were induced to fhake hands firmly together -, and likewife to endeavour
to preferve a perpetual union with all their neighbouring nations, left the
wolf fhould attack them feparately. And ever fince'that impolitic media¬
tion, they have been fo ftrongly convinced of their great advantage and fe-

curity.

An Account of the Mulkohge Nation. 281

curity, by a clofe friendly union with each other, that all the efforts of the
wife and honeft Georgia patriot, Governor Ellis, in concert with the Indian
trading merchants, to diffolve it in the year 1760, proved abortive with
the wary and jealous Mulkohge, while we were at war with the Chee-
rake—and many of the out-fettlers of Georgia and South Carolina were
plundered and murdered by them, without fparing women or children -,
many inftances of which we were too often well acquainted with on the
fpot. The Cheerake, however, flood in fuch great awe of about fixty
Chikkafah warriors, that except once when they were repulfed by a treble
inferior number, they durft not attempt any fort of attack on Georgia bar¬
riers, during the whole continuance of the war. The wifdom of the ru¬
ling members of that weak colony direfted them, in their dangerous circum-
ftances, to chufe the leaftof two evils,—to humour, and bear with thofe mif-
chievous Mulkohge, rather than involve themfelves in a complicated war with
thofe two confederated nations; which muft have ruined Georgia, in the
weak condition it then was. And, notwithftanding they have confiderably
increafed fince, both in wealth and number of inhabitants, it is probable,
the colony is now lefs capable of bearing with any fort of firmnefs, a
fudden fhock from thefe favages, than they were at that time. For,
though the people were then fewer in numbers; yet their fettlements were
more compaft. By this means, they could eafily join in focial defence, on any
alarm: and, as the circumftances of moft of them did not tempt them to
enervating luxury, fo the needful exercifes they daily purfued, enabled them
to make a diverfion of ranging the woods, when occafion required. Plan¬
tations are now fettled, often at a great diftance from each other, even to
the outmoft boundaries of the colony, where commonly the beft gunfmen
refide, but who probably would be cut off by furprize, at the firft onfet:
and, lower down, their difperfed fettlements are often feparated, either by
difficult or unpaffable moraffes,—flow running black waters,—or broken
falt-water founds; which of courfe would be a great impediment to the
people fupporting each other : fo that each plantation is expofed to a
feparate affault, by a fuperior body of thofe cunning favages, who attack,
and fly away like a fudden thunder guft. We have no fure way to fight
them, but in carrying the war into the bowels of their own country, by a
fuperior body of the provincial troops, mixed with regulars •, and as we
can expeft no mercy in cafe of a defeat, we Ihould not defpife their power,
but prepare ourfelves for a fure conqueft.

ACCOUNT

[ 282 J

ACCOUNT

OF THE

CHOKTAH NATION, &c.

HE Choktah country lies in about 33 and 34 Deg. N. L. According

X to the courfe of the Indian path, their weftern lower towns are fituated
two hundred computed miles to the northward of New Orleans •, the upper
ones an hundred and fixty miles to the fouthward of the Chikkafah nation;
150 computed miles to the weft of the late dangerous French Alebahma
garrifon, in the Mufkohge country; and 150 to the north of Mobille,
which is the firft fettlement, and only town, except New Orleans, that the
French had in Weft-Florida.

Their country is pretty much in the form of an oblong fquare. The
barrier towns, which are next to the Mufkohge and Chikkafah countries,
are compadlly fettled for focial defence, according to the general method
of other favage nations; but the reft, both in the center, and toward the
Miffifippi, are only fcattered plantations, as belt fuits a fcparate eafy way
of living. A ftranger might be in the middle of one of their populous ex-
tenfive towns, without feeing half a dozen of their houl'es, in the diredt
courfe of his path. The French, to intimidate the F.nglifh traders by the
prodigious number of their red legions in Weft-Florida, boafted that the
Choktah conlifted of nine thoufand men fit to bear arms : but we find the
true amount of their numbers, fince Weft-Florida was ceded to us, to be
not above half as many as the French report afcertained. And, in-,
deed, if the French and Spanith writers of the American Aborigines, had
kept fo near the truth, as to mix one half of realities, with their flourilhing

wild

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 283

wild hyperboles, the literati would have owed them more thanks than is
now their due.

Thofe who know the Choktah, will firmly agree in opinion with the
French, concerning them, that they are in the higheft degree, of a bale,
ungrateful, and thievilh difpofition—fickle, and treacherous—ready-witted,
and endued with a furprizing flow of fmooth artful language on every fub-
jeft, within the reach of their ideas •, in each of thefe qualities, they far ex¬
ceed any fociety of people I ever faw. They are fuch great proficients in
the art of dealing, that in our fiore-houfes, they often thieve while they are
fpeaking to, and looking the owner in the face. It is reckoned a fhame
to be detected in the aft of theft; but, it is the reward they receive, which
makes it lhameful: for, in fuch a cafe, the trader badinadoes the covetous
finner, almod as long as he feems fenfible of pain. A few years ago,
one of the Chikkafah warriors told me, he heard a middle-aged Choktah
warrior, boad in his own country, at a public ball-play, of having artfully
dolen feveral things from one and another trader, to a confiderable
amount, while he was cheapening goods of us, and we were blind in our
own houfes.

As their country is pleafantly interfperfed with hills, and generally abounds
with fprings and creeks, or fmall brooks; and is in a happy climate, it
is extremely healthful. Having no rivers in their country, few of them can
fwim, like other Indians; which often proves hurtful to them, when high
frelhes come on while they are out at war. Their towns are fettled on
fmall dreams that purl into Mobille river, and another a little to the fouth-
ward of it. Koofah, the larged town in their nation, lies within 180 miles
of Mobille, at a fmall didance from the river which glides by that low,
and unhealthy old capital. The fummer-breezes pafs by Mobille, in two
oppofite direftions, along the channel of the river; and very unhealthy va¬
pours keep floating over the fmall femicircular opening of the town, which
is on the fouth-fide of the river, oppofite to a very low marlh, that was
formed by great torrents of water, fweeping down rafts of fallen trees, till
they fettled there, and were mixt with the black foil of the low lands,
carried, and fubfiding there in the like manner. From thence, to
the oppofite fhore, the river hath a fandy bottom, and at low water
is fo very (hallow, that a perfon could almod walk acrois, though
O o 2 it

284 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

it is two leagues broad. The fouthern fide of the river is fo full of great
trees, that Hoops and fchooners have confiderable difficulty in getting up
abreaft : and for a confiderable difiance from the fea-coaft, the land is low,
and generally unfit for planting, even on the banks of the river. About
forty miles up, the French had a fmall fettlement of one plantation deep,
from the bank of Mobille river. The reft: of the land is fandy pine barrens,
till within forty miles of the Choktah country, where the oak and the hic-
cory-trees firft appear; from whence, it is generally very fertile, for the
extenfive fpace of about fix hundred miles toward the north, and in fome
places, two hundred and fifty, in others, two hundred and fixty in breadth,
from the Miffifippi: This trail: far exceeds the beft land I ever faw be-
fides in the extenfive American world. It is not only capable of yielding the
various produce of all our North-American colonies on the main conti¬
nent, as it runs from the fouth, towards the north; but, likewife, many
other valuable commodities, which their fituation will never allow them to
raife. From the fmall rivers, which run through this valuable large trail,
the far-extending ramifications are innumerable; each abounding with ever¬
green canes and reeds, which are as good to raife cattle in winter, as the
beft hay in the northern colonies. I need not mention the goodnefs of the
fummer-ranges; for, where the land is good, it always produces various
forts of good timber, fuch as oak of different kinds; hiccory, wall-nut,
and poplar-trees. The grafs is commonly as long and tender, as what the
beft Englilh meadows yield; and, if thofe vacant fertile lands of the Mif¬
fifippi were fettled by the remote inhabitants of Virginia, the Ohio, and
North-Carolina, they, from a fmall ftock, could in a few years raife a
prodigious number of horfes, horned cattle, ffieep, and fwine, without
any more trouble than branding, marking, and keeping them tame, and
deftroying the beafts of prey, by hunting them with dogs, and Ihooting
them from the trees. Soon they might raife abundance of valuable produc¬
tions, as would both enrich themfelves and their off-fpring, and, at the
fame time, add in a very high degree to the naval trade and manufadtures
of Great-Britain.

The Choktah flatten their foreheads with a bag of fand, which with
great care they keep fattened on the fcull of the infant, while it is in its
tender and imperfeft ftate. Thus they quite deform their face, and give
themfelves an appearance, which is difagrceable to any but thofe of their own
5 likenefs.

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 285

likened. Their features and mind, indeed, exaftly correfpond together;
for, except the intenfe love they bear to their native country, and their
utter contempt of any kind of danger, in defence of it, I know no other
virtue they are pofiefled of: the general obfervation of the traders among
them is juft, who affirm them to be diverted of every property of a human
being, except ffiape and language. Though the French at Mobille, and
fome at New Orleans, could fpeak the Choktah language extremely well,
and confequently guide them much better than the Englifh (notwith-
ftanding we gave them a far greater fupply of every kind of goods than
they could purchafe) yet, the French allowed none of them arms and am¬
munition, except fuch who went to war againft our Chikkafah friends.
One of thbfe outftanding companies was compofed alfo of feveral towns ■,
for, ufually one town had not more than from five, to feven guns. When
the owners therefore had hunted one moon, they lent them for hire to
others, for the like (pace of time; which was the reafon, that their deer-
Ikins, by being chiefly killed out of feafon, were then much lighter than
now. The French commandant of Tumbikpe garrifon fupcrvifed the
trade, as none was ever chofen to prefide in fo critical a place, unlefs
well and early acquainted in the dialed, manners, and cuftoms of
the favages. The French Indian garrifons confided of chofen pro¬
vincial families, who had not the lead fpark of that haughty pride
and contempt, which is too often predominant, at lead among the
ignorant part of the foldiery, againft all, except their own fraternity. The
Choktah were known to be of fo fickle, treacherous, and bloody a difpo-
fition, that only three or four pedlars were allowed to go among them at a
time: when they returned to the fort, the fame number went out again,
with as many trifles as a fmall barrel would conveniently contain. Thus
they continued to amufe the favages of low rank, but they always kept
the head-men in pay. Thefe, at every public meeting, and convenient occafion,
gave Rated energetic orations in praife of the French •, and, by this means,
the reft were influenced. The pedlars thus got almoft what they were
pleafed to afk, in return for their worthlefs trifles. All the way up the
numerous ftreams of the Miffifippi, and down thofe of Canada river, their
wifdom directed them to keep up the price of their goods, and, by that
means, they retained the favages in the firmed amity with them ; no trader
was allowed among them, except thofe of fufikient {kill, in that dangerous
fphere of life, and of faithful principles to government. The French very
juftly fay, the Englilh fpoil the favages, wherever their trade extends among

aS6

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

them. They were too wife ever to corrupt them, according to our modern
mad fchemes. They had two great annual marts, where the Indians came
to traffic for their deer-(kins, beaver, and peltry •, the one, at Montreal \
and the other, at the Illinois, under the cannon of thofe garrifons. But the
Philadelphians, in order to ingrofs the trade of the latter place, by a foolilh
notion of under-felling the old French traders, have ruined, and, as I am
lately informed, entirely difcontinued it. They who fpeak fo much in favour
of lowering the Indian trade, ought firft to civilize the favages, and con¬
vince them of the abfolute neceffity there is of felling the fame fort of
goods, at various prices, according to different circumftances, either of
time or place. While the prefent ill adapted meafures are continued, no¬
thing lefs than the miraculous power of deity can poflibly effeft the Indians
reformation j many of the prefent traders are abandoned, reprobate,
white favages. Inftead of (hewing good examples of moral conduft, be-
fides their other part of life, they inftrudl the unknowing and imitating
favages, in many diabolical leffons of obfeenity and blafphemy.

When the Engliffi were taking poffeffion of Mobille, the French
commander had given previous orders to a (kilful interpreter, to in¬
form the Choktah, that his Chriftian Majefty, for peace-fake, had given
up Mobille garrifon to the avaricious Engliffi nation; but at the end of
three years, the French would return and fee to what purpofe they had ap¬
plied it. The Choktah believed the declaration to be as true, as if feveral
of their old head-men had dreamed it. The fore-fighted French knew
their fickle and treacherous difpofition, and that by this (lory, well fup-
ported with prefents, they would be able, when occafion required, to ex¬
cite them to commence a new war againft us. The mallerly (kill of the
French enabled them to do more with thofe favages, with trifles, than all
our experienced managers of Indian affairs have been able to effeiff, by the
great quantities of valuable goods, they gave them, with a very profufe
hand. The former bellowed their fmall favours with exquifire wifdom *
and their value was exceedingly inhanced, by the external kindly beha¬
viour, and well adapted fmooth addrefs of the giver. But our wife men
in this department, bellow the prefents of the government, too olten,
in fuch a manner as to rivet the contempt they have imbibed againft us;
for I have been frequently upbraided, even by the old friendly Chikkafah,
when inebriated, that the Engliffi in general defpifed their friends, and

were

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 287

were kindeft to thofe who mod infulted and injured them ; and, that the
fureft way for the red people to get plenty of prefents, was not to deferve
them, but to aft the murdering part of the ill-hearted Mufkohge. In
confirmation of their drong invefkives, they recited above feventy indances
of the Mufkohge having murdered the Englifh, not only with impunity,
but with filent approbation ; as they foon afterward received large prefents,
which mud be either as a due for the bloodfhed, or tribute given through
fear. They enumerated fome fafts, which were attended with fhocking
oircumllances: as, an innocent mother of good report, and two of her
little children, put to flow torture in boiling water; and feveral of the
like nature, which the Mufkohge themfelves had informed them of
in a way of bonding, and to induce them to imitate their mifchievous,
but profitable example. While we bear any cool premeditated adts of
Indian hodility with that crouching bafe behaviour, fuch paflive con-
duft will ferve only to tempt the Indians to advance in their favourite
fcience of blood, and commence a general war. For cowards they always
infult and defpife, and will go any didance to revenge the blood of one of
their tribe, even that of an old woman.

As it was confidently reported, that a military government Would be con¬
tinued by 11s in Wed Florida, till it was thick fettled, the French inhabitants
imagining that event could not happen till doom’ -day, modly retired to
New Orleans, in order to fhun fuch a tyrannic police. They were afraid
of being imprifoned, and whipped, at the Governor’s caprice, and even
for things unnoticeable in the eye of the law; for as he ruled imperial
over the foldiery, he would expefl all his orders to be readily obeyed
by every other perfon, without any hefitation. Such things are too com¬
mon in a military government, and it was fatally experienced in this. In
order to edablifh his abfolute power, as the merchants, and other gentlemen
at Mobille, of generous principles dcfpifed it, he found a plea to contend
with one of them, though it was both illegal, and entirely out of his element.
A Choktah having bought a fmall brafs-kettle of one of the principal mer¬
chants of that place, was perfuaded by a Frenchman, to return it, bring
the value to him, and he would give him a better one in its Head ; for there
happeped to be a very fmall crack of no confequence, and fcarcely dil-
cernible, juft above the rim. The Indian accordingly went to return it t
but the gentleman would not receive it, as it was good, and fairly fold at
5 the

288

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

the ufual price. The Choktah went back to the Frenchman to excufe him-
felf in not being able to deal with him, as propofed ; who perfuaded him
to complain to the Governor of the pretended injuftice he had received
from the merchant—he did, and the ruler gladly embraced the opportunity
to gratify his pride, and aggrandize his power. He immediately fcnt fome
of his underlings, with a pofitive verbal command to the gentleman, to
cancel the bargain with the Choktah, and deliver to him what he claimed,
on receiving his own : the free-born Briton excufed his non-compliance, in
a rational and polite manner, according to his conftant eafy behaviour.
Upon this, like a petty tyrant, the chief fent a file of mufqueteers for him.
When he appeared before his greatnefs, he aflerted the common privileges
of a trading free fubjeft of Great Britain, with decent firmnefs; and fet
forth the ill confequences of giving the troublefome lavages an example fo
hurtful to trade, with other arguments well adapted to the occafion.
The return was, an order to thruft the gentleman into the black-hole of the
garrifon, where he was detained and treated as a capital criminal, till,
by the lofs of health through the dampnefs of that horrid place, the
love of life prompted him to comply with every demand. Had he
waited the award of a court-martial, probably he would have had juftice
done him ■, for, except a couple of the officers of the commander’s own
principles, all the reft, blamed, if not defpifed him for his haughtinefs and
ungenerous principles. This is a genuine fample of military governments—
the Canadians may expect many fuch inftances of jullice and humanity in
confequence of the late Quebec aft, if it be not repealed. While this military
man afted in the magifterial office, though in pain when not triumphing
over thofe peaceable fubjefts who would not (loop before him below the
charafter of freemen, to flatter his lordly ambition •, yet it was affirmed, he
could not (land the fight of the inebriated Choktah. One inftance of his
paffive conduft toward them, deferves to be recorded—As the centinels
at the gates of his houfe, were ftriftly ordered not to refill the favages,
thefe foon became fo impudent as to infult them at pleafure; and one of
them, without the lead provocation, ftruck a foldier (while on his duty
(landing centry) with a full bottle on his head, with that violence, as to
break his fcull •, the unfortunate foldier languiftied, and died, by the
blow, without the lead retaliation; though fo abfolutely needful in our
early (late of fettling that part of the continent.

We

An Account of the Choktah Nation. *89

We well know the fate of the Britifh Americans in general, as to
property, liberty, and life, if their court-enemies could but metamorphofe
them into affes, and quietly impofe upon them military men as gover¬
nors, and magiftrates, to inforce a drift obedience to their grafping hand,
and boundlefs will. But, may our wife ftatefmen henceforth rather keep
them at home, and place them over fuch mean fpirits as have fold their
birth-rights for a mefs of pottage, and are degenerated from every virtue
of the true and brave Englifhman !

Though the French Americans were as defirous of purchafing Indian
deer-lkins and beaver as the Englilh could well be •, yet they wifely de¬
clined, where the public peace and fecurity required it. By their wif-
dom, they employed the favages, as occafion offered, and kept them
entirely dependant. They diftributed through-each nation, a confiderable
number of medals and flourilhing commifflons, in a very artful gradation,
fo as to gratify their proud tempers, and obtain an univerfal fway over them.
They alfo fent a gun-fmith to each of their countries, to mend the locks
of their guns, at the expence of government: and any warrior who
brought his chieftain’s medal as a certificate, was waited on, and fent off
with honour, and a very bon grace, to his entire fatisfaftion : with this, and
other inftances of good conduct, they led the favages at pleafure. When the
French evacuated the Alebahma garrifon, the Mufkohge defpitefully ob-
jefted againft receiving any fuch favours from us. Even our old friendly
Chikkafah were only tantalized with our friendfnip on that occafion, for
the gun-fmith was recalled—which, joined with the reft of the bad con-
duft of our managers of Indian affairs, vexed them fo exceedingly, that
they were on the point of committing hoftilities againft us, in the year
1769 : fo widely different is our Indian-trading conduct from that of the
French.

They wifely preferred the fecurity of their valuable, but weak coun¬
try to the dangerous profits of trade ; they kept the belt orators and the
head-men as penfioners, on their fide, and employed the reft of the warriors
in their favourite fcience againft the Chikkafah. As with the high placed
mercenaries in Great Britain, fo it will be a very difficult talk (for fome time)
to manage any of the Indians well, particularly tire Choktah, unlels they in
P p fome

290 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

fome manner receive a favourite bribe, under the name of prefents, as
they ufually had from the French. By reafon of our mifconduft, and
the foolilh diftribution of prefents, fince Florida was ceded to us, they
have been twice on the point of breaking with us, though the managers
of our Indian affairs were at the fame time echoing in the public papers
of Georgia and South-Carolina, the peaceable and friendly difpofition of
all the favage nations around the colonies. The Choktah were de-
figned to ftrike the firft blow on their traders, and immediately to follow it
on the inhabitants of Mobille •, which, they imagined, they could eafily
efieft by furprife in the night, and fo enrich themfelves with an immenfe
booty. The firft of thofe bloody plans was concerted againft us, Oftober
the 18th 1765. The catife of which I fiiall relate.

In the eaftern part of the Chikkafah nation, there is a young, and very
enterprifing war-leader, called “ the Torrepine Chieftain,” or “ The leader
of the^ land-tortoife family his ambitious temper, which one of the
traders at firft imprudently fupported againft aur old friendly war chieftain,
Pa- 2 ~ab-Matabab, has unhappily divided the nation into two parties, which
frequently aft in oppofition to any falutar.y meafure, which is either pro-
pofed, or purfued by the other. The Torrepine chief received an embafiy
from the Mulkohge Great Mortar to engage him againft us, through a
falfe pretence that we intended to take their lands, and captivate their
women and children ; as the vaft ftrides we lately made through that extern
five traft, from Georgia to New Orleans, and up the Miftifippi, all the
way to the Illinois, he laid, would clearly convince fo wife a people. He
exhorted the Choktah war-leaders and old beloved men to roufe their mar¬
tial tempers to defend their liberty and property, and preferve their holy
places, and holy things, from the ambitious views of the impure and co¬
vetous Englifh people, to liften to the loud call of liberty, and join heart
and hand in its generous defence, which they now could eafily effeft, by
cruflung the fnake in its infant ftate •, whereas delay would allow it time
to colleft ftrength, to the utter danger of every thing they held as valu¬
able—that now was the time to avert thofe dangerous evils, and that
their mutual fafety was at flake. He allured them from repeated expe¬
rience, that the very worft that could befall them would be only. & trifling
lcolding in their ears, and prefents in their hands to make up the breach..
The afpiring Chikkafah leader was, in a great meafure, induced to fall.

29 I

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

in with that cunning deceiver’s meafures by having feen above fixty of the
Mufkohge head-men and warriors, who received confiderable prefents from
Geo. Johnftone, Efq; Governor of Weft-Florida, at Penfacola. They told
him our liberality proceeded intirely from fear; that when they killed
any of our defpicable and helplefs fwarms, they always received the like
quantity, to quiet .the martial hearts of their gallant young warriors ; and
that the foie reafon we were f <5 frugal to the Chikkafah, was owing to
their unwife attachment to us; but if they followed their copy, they
would foon become as rich as themfelves.

If the fagacious, and gallant governor could have executed his will,
they would not have thus boafted—he warmly debated in council to order
each of them to be fecured, as hoftages, and kept aboard a man of war in
the harbour, till fatisfadlion was remitted for the unprovoked, and wil¬
ful murders that nation had committed on feveral of his majefty’s peace¬
able fubjefbs: but his fpirited refolution was overborne by a confiderable
majority of votes. However, when they got home, they told our traders
that his excellency’s fpeech was quite different to that of the beloved
white man, meaning the fuper-intendant, for it was very fharp and wound¬
ing ; and that his eyes fpoke, and glanced the fire alfo which was burning
in his heart. No people are more obfervant of the paffions in the ho-
neft face than they. Their eyes and judgment are furprifingly piercing;
and in confequence of this Governor’s open, fteady, virtuous condudt, all
our neighboring nations honour and love him, to this very day.

The Chikkafah chief fent his-bloody embafiy to the Choktah by a cunning
and trufly uncle, who accompanied me to the late Tumbikpe-fort. I
was ignorant of the mifchievous plan, till we arrived at camp, near the
Great Red Captain’s: there, in bed at night, I plainly overheard the
whole, and faw the white fwan’s wings, and others painted red and black,—
perfuafive and fpeaking emblems of friendfhip to the one party, and war,
blood, and death to the other. They received thofe bafe tokens, accord¬
ing to the mifchievous intention of thofe who fent them. As they are fond
of novelty, the news was conveyed through the nation, with profound fe-
crefy : befides, they were very much rejoiced at fo favourable an opportu¬
nity of making peace with the Mufkohge, who awed them exceedingly, on
account of their repeated Ioffes, which were chiefly occafioned by their want
Pp 2

of

292 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

of (kill in fwimming. Tumbikpe garrifon, a little before this time, was
very- unwifely removed ; but, to fupply that wrong meafure, our fuper-
intendant of Indian affairs, Rationed here one of his reprefentatives. He
was as much unacquainted with the language, manners, and cuftoms of
the Indians, as his employer: and yet wrote a confiderable volume how
to regulate Indian affairs in general, and particularly in the Choktah coun¬
try. Befides his want of proper qualifications in fo nice and difficult an
office, he was in his temper fo turbulent, proud, and querulous, that his
prefence inftead of quieting the favages, was more than fufficient to dis¬
oblige, and diftraft them, in the moft friendly times. He lived in the
deferred garrifon, as a' place of fecurity, kept weighty pullies to the gates,
and his own door {hut, as if the place had been a monaftery; which was
the worft meafure he could poffibly have purfued, confidering the proud
and familiar temper of thofe he had to deal with, and the late foothing
treatment of the French to them. Kapteny Humma Echeto “ the Great
Red Captain,” fent word to him he would call there, on a certain day, to
confer with him on fome material bufinefs. On account of their flufluating
councils in fo weighty an affair as the intended war, he prolonged the
time of going there, for the fpace of eight days; the gentleman engaged
me to ftay till the affair was decided. I continued without the leaf!; re-
luttance, as I faw the black ftorm gathering, and hoped I might be able
in fome meafure to difpel it. When the Red Captain came, his chief
bufinefs was to demand prefents, in the fame manner they received
them from the French, as the war-chiefs and beloved men were grown very
poor ; and to know whether our government would enable them to revenge
their dead, by bellowing on them ammunition to continue the war againft the
Mufkohge, who highly defpifed us, and frequently committed adls of hofti-
lity againft our people. Contrary to my advice, he gave a plain nega¬
tive to each of his queries, without confidering contingencies—Becaufe
the neighbouring town was filent, and very few of them came near the
fort, he flattered himfelf that thofe dangerous tokens proceeded intirely
from the cold reception, and frequent denials he had given them ; and that
for the future, he could live there in a retired and eafy manner. But
had he taken the trouble to go among them, as I did, he might have feen
by their gloomy faces what bitter rancour was in their hearts. Next day, I
difcovered at the moft unfrequented part of the fort, which was near the
fouth eaft corner, on the river-fide, that the wary favages had in the night time

forced

An Account of the C&oktah Nation. 293

forced two of the great polls fo far apart, as one perfon could eafily pafs
through at a time ; as fuch ocular proof might have made my hoft un*
eafy, I thought it wrong to moleft his tranquillity by the difcovery. The
Red Chief would now drink no fpirituous liquors, though I prefled him to
it. They know their weaknefs then, which might lead them to divulge
their country’s fecrets,—a great difgrace to a warrior. He went home
with his heart greatly inebriated however, on account of the fiat denials
he had received; efpecially, as the warriors would depreciate him for his
ill fuccefs.

In a few days after, I fet off with my red companion, and lay all
night at the Red Captain’s houfe, which Hands in one of their northern
barrier towns. He walked out with me in the evening, but in his difcourfe,
he ufed as much evafion and craft, as an old fox in his intricate windings to
beguile the earneft purfuers. At night his houfe was very quiet, as if their
long heads and treacherous hearts were equally at reft;—but 1 plainly faw into
their favourite and laboured plan, and one of their females told me there
was at that time, a great many head-men of different towns, at a neighbour •
ing houfe, conferring together concerning the white people; and that (he
believed their fpeech was not good, as they did not allow any women or
boys to hear it. The Red Chief and I parted like courtiers; it foon began
to rain, fo as to fwell the waters to fuch a confiderable height* as rendered
them unpaffable to horfemen, whofe circumftances were not quite defperate.
The Choktab leader fent a fprightly young man, his nephew, with me,
under pretence of accompanying me and the above-mentioned Chikkafah
warrior; but I was not without ftrong fufpicion, that he was fent to (hoot
me by furprife, as foon as he heard the whooping death-fignal in purfuit of-
me. For they had fent runners to call home thofe who were hunting
in the woods, and the laft company of them we met, reaching our camp in
the night, (laid there till the morning. We converfed together with¬
out the lead difguife ; they were confident the traders were killed, and
their favourite war and death-cry would foon reach their liftening ears.
I thought it improper to make a jell of fo ferious an affair, and determined
to fet off, though my red companions endeavoured to delay me as much as
they could. Early in the morning I'took out my faddle, which the Choktah-
mentioned to the others through a fufpicion I intended to make my efcape:
but they quieted his jealbufy, by telling him I did fo, only becaufe I was lazy-
to walk. About half a mile from camp, I foon catchcd and mounted one of
3 nl X

294 J ^ n ^ ccount °f Choktah Nation.

my horfes, and fet off, keeping clear of the trading path for about four miles,
in order to perplex any purfuers that might be fent after me. When my horfe
tired, I led it on foot through the pathlefs woods about fifty miles, and heard
no more of them. Had the Choktah known how to obtain a fufficient fupply
of ammunition, they would at this very time, have commenced war againft
us. That only checked their bloody aim, to their unfpeakable grief, and
prevented our being engaged in a dangerous war.

All our Tndian-traders well know, that the mifconduft and obftinacy of
the firft fuper-intendant of Indian affairs, was the foie occafion of irritating
the Great Mortar to become bitter-hearted againft us, and devoting him-
felf with a blood-thirfty defire to injure us, wherever his black policy could
reach. And as the firft, by his ftiff behaviour fet on the Mortar,—his fuc-
ceffor, by ill-timed prefents inftead of demanding fatisfaftion, gave him as
good an opportunity as he could have defired, to imprefs the warriors of
his own and other nations, with a ftrong opinion of our timid difpofition,
and incapacity of oppofing them. The imprelfion of Governor Johnftone’s
fpeech, plainly declares they would not have been fo weak as to utter their
bafe threats againft us, to the Chikkafah leader at Penfacola, only that
they were previoufly corrupted by the mifmanagement of Indian affairs. I
am well affured, they frequently applauded his martial conduit when they
returned home, and faid he was a man and a warrior,' which is as great an
encomium, as they can bellow on any mortal. May Weft-Florida, and
New Georgiana on the extenfive and fertile lands of the meandring Mifli-
fippi, have a continual fucceflion of fuch chief magiftrates as Mr. John-
ftonc, and his worthy fucceffor Montfort Browne, Efq; to ftudy and pro¬
mote the public good, and caufe the balance of juftice to be held with an
even hand !

The following relation will ferve to difplay what Ihould be our manner of
treating the Indians—A white man, on Mobille river, fold fpirituous liquors
to a couple of the Choktah, till they were much intoxicated, and unable to
purchafe any more ; he then ftrenuoufly denied to credit them : their ufual
■burning thirft exciting them to drink more, they became too troublefome for
any fpirited perfon to bear with. He took up an ax, at firft in his own
defence, but when they endeavoured to run off, he, in the heat of paftion
purfued, and unhappily killed one of them. The other ran, and told his.

3 relations

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 295

relations the fad difafter. Prefently, nothing could be heard through the
nation, but heavy murmurs and lharp threats. Governor Johnftone had the
murderer foon apprehended, and confined him to be tried in due courfe of
law. This delay of executing juftice on one, and whom we only fecured
from their refentment as they imagined, tempted them to think on a general
maflacre. Soon after the fitting of the general court, their revengeful
hearts became eafy : for the man was fairly tried, and condemned, becaufe
he did not kill the favage in his own defence, but while he was re¬
treating from him. I have reafon to believe the Indians would not have
allowed the French, when in garrifon among them, to delay (hooting
any of their people, whom they but even fufpefted of having killed the
meaneft of their kindred : for, in the year 1740, the Mufkohge, on a falfe
fufpicion, forced the commanding officer of the Alebahma garrifon, by
their loud threats, to kill one of the militia foldiers. When they were
leading him to the place of execution, he requefted the favour of a bottle
of wine, to enable him to die with the firm conftancy of an honeft French
warrior: he received, and drank it off, and declared his innocence of the
imputed crime, with his laft words. The fignal was given, and the foldiers,
by order, quickly (hot the unfortunate man. But the Engliffiman, who-
had been likewife a foldier, would not have been condemned by the mere
aflertion of the Choktah favage, coft what it would; as it was both re¬
pugnant to our law, and too dangerous a precedent to give to fo treach¬
erous a people. He was juftly condemned on his companion’s oath. His
excellency Governor Johnftone a fled fo fairly and tenderly in this affair,
that, by his requeft, one of the Chikkafah traders was fummoned to fit on
the trial, as he of a long time knew the bafe difpofition of the Choktah ;
but no favourable circumftances appearing on his fide, he was condemned.

Although the Choktah had their defired revenge, yet, when their leader
came parading into Tumbikpe garrifon, with a gun he had taken from a
white man, whom he murdered on the Chikkafah trading path ; our fuper-
intendant’s representative fliamefully refufed to adt the part of the magi-
ftrate, or to impower the commanding officer of the Fort to fecure the mur¬
derer, though he prefled him with manly earneftnefs, and protefted that he
would gladly confine him, were it not contrary to the tenour of his com-
miffion. ' The favage having boafted a while after his triumphal entrance,

returned:

296 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

returned exultingly to his country-men, to the lhame and regret of the
traders. Our white beloved man thought himfelf belt employed in other
affairs than thefe, and doubtlefs, profitable family jobbs ought to be well
minded.

His fuccefior was equally fkilful in managing the Indians as himfelf,.
though much his inferior. His only merit was, the having been a
clerk to the Chikkafah white beloved man, who refigned his place, on
account of the dilcontinuance of his Bricilh pay. He corrupted and
praetifed with the Indians, according to the fyflem his teacher pur-
fued. One inftance, among many, will fhew this: a gentleman came to
view the Miflifippi lands, from the fettlements which are on the Yad¬
kin, a large and beautiful river, that, after gliding down 300 miles
to the Sand-hill, Wilmington, and the wade Brunfwick, is ftiled Cape-
Fear-River. He was highly pleafed with the foil, climate, and fituation of
the lands he came in queft of: but told me, in a humorous manner, that,
when he was at a French man’s houfe, on the Spanifh fide of the river, a
very lufty Choktah called there, in company with others upon a hunt.
As the French Choktah was dtfirous of ingratiating himfelf into the
favour of .the hod, he began to ridicule my friend with gedures, and
mocking language: the more civilly the Englifhman behaved, fo much
the more impudently the favage treated him. At length, his paf-
fions were inflamed, and he fuddenly feized him in his arms, carried him a
few deps off, and threw him down the bank into the Miflifippi. The
laugh now turned againd him loud; for, if the Indians faw their grand¬
mother break her neck by a fall from a horfe, or any other accident, they
would whoop and halloo. The Baptid, or dipped perfon, came out
afhamed, but appeared to be very good-humoured after his purification, as
he found he had not one of the French wood-peckers to deal with.
However, one night, when the gentleman was on his return, the
favages purfued, and endeavoured to kill him, and did feize his horfes
and baggage. He had a narrow efcape for his life before he came
to Quanflieto, where the towns-people of the late Great Red Shoes had fet¬
tled, and our white beloved man refided. He made his complaint to him,
which might have been expedled to produce both pity and juflice in any
heart that was not callous. But, in tie ad of endeavouring to redrefs his
grievance, which he could have eafily eflfedted, he aggravated his fufferings

by

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 297

by abufe. As the favage had been brought up with the Engliih traders, fo
as to be called the boy of one of them, and lived in Tajboo, the town of
the prefent Red Shoes, our chief could eafily have had every thing returned,
had he only demanded it in form. But, like his predeceffor, he endea¬
voured to keep in with the Indians—he deemed their favourable re¬
port of his friendly conduft toward them, to be the main point he ought
to obfcrve, in order to fecure the embaffy from fuffering damage, what¬
ever became of truth, orjuftice.

The Choktah have a remote, but confiderablc .town, called Yowamt,
which is the name of a worm that is very deftruftive to corn in a wet fea-
fon. It lies forty miles below the feven fouthernmoft towns of the nation,
toward Mobille, and 120 computed miles from thence, on a pleafant fmall
river, that runs fouth of the town. As it is a remote barrier, it is
greatly harrafled by the Mufkohge, when at war with them. Here, a com¬
pany of them came lately looking for prey ; but miffing it, as the Choktah
were apprized, and ftaid at home, their pride and difappointment excited
them to injure thofe ftrangers who chanced to fall in their way. About
fix miles below the town, they came to the camp of two white men, who
were juft ready to fet off to Mobille, with loaded horfes •, being refolved
not entirely to mifs their errand of blood and plunder, they attacked
them with their tomohawks, cautious of not alarming the neighbouring
enemy by the report of their guns. They fpeedily difpatched one of them;
but the other being ftrong bodied, very fiery, and defperate, held them a
lharp ftruggle, as it appeared afterward : his gun was found much battered,
and the long grafs quite beat down for a confiderable way round the place
where the Yowanne Indians found him fufpended in the air. For as foon
as thofe favages perpetrated that diabolical aft, they hanged each of
them on trees, with the horfes halters, and carried away fix of the horfes
loaded with dreft deer-lkins, as far as Mobille-river. Minggo Ilumma
Echeto , the Great Red Chieftain, of the aforefaid town, on his return
from war with the Mulkohge, fortunately intercepted them, killed and
fealped two, and retook the horfes and leather. Thefe, he fent home, as he
imagined the owner then refided in the nation, and would gladly redeem
them with reafonable prefents: while he went down to Mobille to Ihew his
trophies of war, in full hopes of getting a new fupply of ammunition from
the deputy fuper-intendant, to be ufed againft the common enemy. He
flattered himfelf that the fealps brought into our maritime town, in folemn
Q^q triumph,

298 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

triumph, would prove a gladfome fight to our people, and enlarge their
hearts towards him and his fatigued poor warriors. But he perceived no*
thing of this kind, of which he complained to me with very (harp language,
and returned uome, highly incenfed againft his new Englilh friends.

I have reafon to remember this too well 5 for, a little after thofe-
white men were murdered, bufinefs calling me to Mobille by myfelf, I chofe
to decline the eaftern path, and the middle one that leads by the Cbakthoomar
old fields, as they were much expofed to the incurfions of the Mufkohge ■,
and rode through the chief towns of the nation, along the horfe-path that
runs from the Chikkafah, neared the Miflifippi, to Mobille. About fix miles
below the fe-ven-towns that lie clofe together, and next to New Orleans, I
met a confiderable party of the leaders and head-warriors returning home
from war. We (hook hands together, and they feemed very glad to fee me.
They earnedly difluaded me from proceeding any farther, advifed me to re¬
turn to their friendly towns, and red awhile among them, declaring, that if
my ears were mad, and would not hear their friendly fpeech, I fhould furely
be killed, the enemy were ranging the woods fo very thick. They were
good judges of the danger, as they knew the treacherous plan they had con¬
certed together at Yowanne. But the memory of pad times, moved them
to give me that kindly caution. I thanked them, and faid, I wiflied
bufinefs allowed me to aft according to their advice, and accept of
their generous invitation ; but it did not: however, if my limited days were
not finilhed before, I would (hortly have the pleafure to fee them again. I
proceeded, and met feveral parties of the fame main company, feveral
miles didant from each other, carrying fmall pieces of a fcalp. Tinging the
triumphal fong, and founding the fhrill death*whoop, as if they had killed
hundreds. On my reding and fmoking with the lad party, they informed
me, that their camp confided of two hundred and fifty warriors, under great
leaders, who were then returning from war againd a town of the Koo-
faahte Indians, who had fettled twenty-five miles above Mobille, on the
eadern fide of the river; that they had killed and wounded feveral of them,,
fufpefting them of abetting the Mulkohge, and fortunately got one of
their fealps, which the warriors of feparate towns divided, and were carry¬
ing home, with joyful hearts.

A dranger would be much furprifed to fee the boading parade thefe
favages made with one fcalp of a reputed enemy. To appearance, more

tham

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 299

than a thoufand men, women, lufty boys, and girls, went loaded with
provifions to meet them j and to dance, fmg, and rejoice at this camp, for
their fuccefs in war, and fafe return. Their camps were made with
the green bark and boughs of trees, and gave a ftriking piflure of the
eafy and Ample modes of early ages. Their chieftains and great war¬
riors fat in ftate, with the affuming greatnefs of the ancient fenators of
imperial Rome. I had the honour to lit awhile with them, and was di¬
verted with the old circling and wheeling dances of the young men and
women. I fmoked with them, and then took my leave of this laft camp of
rejoicing heroes. The Choktah are the moll formal in their addreiles, of
ail the Indian nations I am acquainted with : and they reckon the neglefl
of obferving their ufual ceremonies, proceeds from contempt in the traders,
and from ignorance in llrangers.

I encamped early, and within two leagues of Towanne, as it feemed to be a
good place for killing wild game. I imagined alfo, that here the people were
awed by the Mulkohge from ranging the woods, but, it happened other-
wife : for, foon after the horfe-bells began to ring, two fprightly young fel¬
lows came through the cane-fwamp, and as enemies, they crawled up the
fteep bank of the creek, near to me, before I difcovered them. My fire¬
arms were clofe at hand, and I inftantly Hood on my guard. They looked
earneltly around, to fee for the reft of my company, as it is very unufual for
any of the traders, to take that journey alone. I a Iked them who they
were, from whence they came, and what they were fo earneftly fearching
for. They evaded anfwering my queries, and alked me if I did not
come by myfelf. I told them, without hefttation, that fome way behind,
my companion rode out of the path to kill deer, as his gun was good,
and he could ufe it extremely well. On this, they fpoke a little together,
with a low voice; and then told me, that they belonged to To-wanne,
and were part of a hunting camp, which was near at hand, and in view
of the path. I alked them to fit down, which they did, but their dilcourfe
was difagreeable, as my fuppofed fellow-traveller was the chief fubjeft of it.
They faid they would go back to their camp, and return to mine foon, to
fee whether the white man was come from hunting. They went, and were
as good as their word; for, they did me the honour to pay me a fecond
yifit. As they were fo very earned in that which did not concern them,
unlefs they had ill intentions, the fight of them would have inftantly in¬
flamed the heart of one not infefled with ftoicilm, to wilh for a proper
Qjj z place

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

place to make a dne retribution. At this time, the fun was near three
hours from fetting. The white hunter’s abfence was the firft and chief fub-
jeCt of their difcourfe, till evening. As on a level-place, all the favages fit
crofs-legged, fo my vifitors did, and held their guns on their knee, or
kept them very near, with their otter-fkin Ihot pouch over one of their
fhoulders, as is ufual in time of danger. I obferved their mifchievous eyes,
inftead of looking out eaftwardly toward the Molkohge country, were ge¬
nerally pointed toward the N. W. the way I had come. As by chance, I
walked near to one of them, he fuddenly fnatched up h'is gun. No
friendly Indians were ever known to do the like, efpecially fo near home,
and a confiderable camp of his own people: innocence is not fufpicious,
but guilt. He knew his own demerit, and, perhaps imagined I knew it,
from concurring circumftances. To fee whether his conduCfc proceeded
from a -fear of danger, or from accident, I repeated the trial, and he did
the fame; which confirmed me in my opinion of their bafe intentions.

In this uneafy. and reftlefs manner we continued till fun-fet, when
one of them artfully got between me and my arms. Then they or¬
dered me to flop the bells of my horfes, which were grazing near the
camp, (ufed partly on account of the number of big flies that infeft the
country.) I atked them the - reafon'—they’told me, becaufe the noile
frightened away the deer. I took no notice at firft of their haughty-
command, but they repeated it with fpiteful vehemence,' and I was
forced to obey their mandate. They looked,, and liftened earneftly
along the edge of the fwamp, but being difappointed of their ex¬
pected additional prey, in about the fpace of ten minutes they ordered-
me to open the bells again. Of the manifold -dangers I ever was.
in, I deemed this by far the greateft, for I flood quite defenceless..
Their language and behaviour plainly declared their mifchievous defigns.

I expefted every minute to have been (hot down: and though I endea¬
voured to fhew a manly afpeft, the cold fweat trickled down my face-
through uneafinefs, and a crowd of contrary palfions. After fome time, in
this alarming fituation, they told me the ugly white man ftaid long, and,
that they would go to their camp a little while, and return • again, —
they did as they faid. To deceive them, I had made my bed as for
two people, of foftened bear and buffalo fkins, with the long hair and.
wool on, and blankets. My two watchmen came the third time,,
accompanied with one older than themfelves: he fpoke little, was artful,,
7,- andi

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 301

and very defigning. They feemed much concerned at the abfence of my
fuppofed companion, left he fhould by unlucky mifchance be bewildered,
or killed by the Mulkohge. I gave them feveral reafons to fhew the
futility of their kindly fears, and allured them he ufually ftaid late to
barbicue the meat, when he killed much, as he could not otherways bring
it to camp; but that he never failed, on fuch an occafion, to come fome
time in the night. The cunning fox now and then alked me a ftudied
fhort queftion, in the way of crofs examination, concerning the main
point they had in view, and my anfwers were fo cool and uniform, that
1 almoft perfuaded them firmly to credit all I faid. When he could no
way trepan me, and there was filence for feveral minutes, he alked me,
if I was not afraid to be at camp alone. I told him I was an Englilh
warrior,—my heart was honeft—and as I fppiled nobody, why fhould I
be afraid ? ' Their longing eyes by this time were- quite tired. The
oldeft of theln very politely took his leave of me in French ; and the
others, through an earneft friendly defire of fmoking, and chatting a little
with my abfent companion, told me at parting, to be fore to call them, by
founding the news-whoop, as foon as he arrived at camp. I readily pro-
mifed to comply, for the fake of the favour of their good company:
and to prevent any fufpicion of the truth of my tale, I added, that if
he failed in his ufual good luck, they ought to fupply us with a leg of
venifon, or we would give them, as much,- if he fucceeded.

And now ail was well, at Ieaft, with me; for I took time by the
fore-lock, and left them to echoe the news-whoop. Tcu'anne lay nearly
fouth-eaft from me-, but to avoid my being either intercepted on the
path, or heard by the quick-ear’d favages, I went a quarter of a mile up-
the large cane fwamp, and palled through it on a fouth weft courfe, but
very flow, as it was a dark thicket of great canes and vines, over-topped with
large fprcading trees. I feldom had a glimpfe of any ftar to direct my
courfe, the moon being then far fpent. About an hour before day-light, I
heard them from the top of an high hi!!, fire off a gun at camp-, which I
liippofed was when they found me gone, and in order to decoy my fup¬
pofed companion to anlwer them with the like report; conjecturing he
would imagine it was I who fired for him, according to cuftom in fimi-
lar cafes. I kept nearly at the diftance of three miles from the path, till I
arrived’at the out-houfes of Yowanne. As I had never before feen that
town, nor gone to Mobille that way, one of the warriors at my requeft
• • conducted

30 1 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

conducted me to the river, which we waded breaft-high, and went to the
palifadoed fort of Minggo Htimma Ecbeto, which flood commodioufly
on the bank of the river. He received and treated me very kindly; 1 con¬
cealed what befel me at camp, though I had reafon to believe, he was in¬
formed of my efcape by a runner, as I faw frefh tracks when I re¬
turned. I pretended to have come from camp, only to confer with him,
concerning the fituation of Mobille path, and follow his advice, either
to proceed on, or return home, being convinced fo great a chieftain
as he, who lived in defiance of the Mufkohge on that remote barrier,
mult be a better judge, than any of thofe I had met. He commended
me for my caution, and allured me there were feveral companies of the
Mulkohge, then out at war on the path; and that as they hated and de-
fpifed the Engiilh, they would furely kill me, if I continued my jour¬
ney. I thanked him for his friendly caution, and told him it Ihould not
fall to the ground. I foon difcovered his great refentment againft the
Engiilh, on account of the impolitic and unkind treatment he had re¬
ceived at Mobille. He reafoned upon it with ftrong natural good fenfe,
and Ihewed me in his mufeum, the two red-painted fcalps of the Mulkohge
who had murdered our people, and left them in contempt hanging like
mangy dogs, with a horfe’s rope round each of their necks. He then
Ihewed me the flourilhing commiflions he had received from both French and
Engiilh. He defcanted minutely on the wife and generous liberality of the
former, on every material occafion •, and on the niggardly difpofition and
difcouraging conduft of the latter, when they ought to ftretch out both
their hands to thofe red people who avenged their wrongs, and brought
them the fcalps of the very enemy who had lately Hied their blood.
The French never fo ftarved the public caufe; and though they fre¬
quently gave fparingly, they bellowed their favours with a winning grace,
and confummate wifdom.

This conduft of ours excited the crafty Minggo Htmma Ecbeto, to give loole
to his vindidtive temper; and at the fame time, to make it coincide with the
general welfare of his country. For as the Mulkohge had proved an over¬
match for them in almoft every engagement, and had lately committed hofti-
lities againft us in their neighbourhood, he perfuaded thofe head-men I
had met, when convened in a council of war, that if they with proper fe-
crefy repeated the like hoftile aft on any of our people who firft came
that way, and reported it to have been done by the Mulkohge, it would

certainly

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 303

certainly obtain that favourite point they had long wiflied for, of drawing
us into an alliance with them againft the common enemy, as we muft have fome
of the inward feelings of men for our loft people. Probably, the decree of
that red council would have been foon put in execution had it not been for
me. When I took my leave of the red chief to return, the drum was beat
to convene the people to tell them the caufe of my coming to him, and re¬
turning home; and that as the women and children had feen me in the
town, their late plan of execution muft be entirely laid afide. One of the
warriors was fent to accompany me, though rather by way of efcortment.
In my return I called at the before mentioned camp, and put up the whoop;
my two former watchmen, on feeing me, refembled wolves catched in a pit;
they hung down their heads, and looked gloomy, and wrathful. I alked them
why they were alhamed, and why their hearts weighed fo heavy ; they faid
they were alhamed for me, I was fo great a liar, and had earneftly told them
fo many ugly fallhoods. I faid, my fpeech to them could hurt no honed'
perfons.—My head, my eyes, my heart, allured me their hearts were then
like the fnakes •, and my tongue only fpoke the fpeech of honed wifdoin,
fo as to fave myfelf from being bitten—That it was the property of poifonous
fnakes, when they mifs their aim, to be enraged, and hide their heads in
their hateful coil; and concluded, by telling them I went through the
woods to Yowanne, to Ihew them publicly I was not hurt by lurking
fnakes—and that I would now- return to the harmlefs Chikkafah, and tell
them fo—on this we parted..

A timely application of proper meaibres with the favages, is our only
method to fecure their feeble affeftions. If thofe, who are employed for
that falutary purpofe, juftly purfued that point, its effeft would foon be
openly declared, by the friendly behaviour and honeft conduit of the va¬
rious weftern nations. But where intereft governs, iniquitous meafures are
purfued, and painters can be got who will flatter the original, be it ever
fo black. Some of our chiefs, with a certain military officer in Weft-Flo-
rida, like trembling mice, humbly voted not to demand any latisfaftion
from the favages, for that moft fhocking aft of cool murder 1 have juft
mentioned, left it fhould provoke them to do us more mifchief. But to the
honour of George Johnftone, Elq; then Governor of Weft-Florida, as a
reprefentative of the fuffering people, he defpifed fuch obfequious and pu-
flllanimous councils, and infilled, in his ufual manly manner, on an equal
7 revenge

304 -An Account of the Choktah Nation,

revenge of blood, and had it fpcedily granted, as far as the fituation of af¬
fairs could poflibly allow : for by a council of the red Sanhedrim, they con¬
demned three of the chief murderers to be killed, and formally fent
down to him two of their fealps to ftop the loud voice of blood : but the
third made off to the Cheerake, by which means he evaded his juflly de-
ferved fate—and too nice a ferutiny at fuch a time would not have been
convenient. All the. weftern Indian nations, bear the higheft regard to
that paternal governor, and plain friend of all the people : and I record
his conduCt to do juftice to fo_ uncommon a character in America, as
well as to engage his fucceffors to purfue the fame meafures, and copy
after him.

The Choktah, by not having deep rivers or creeks to purify them-
fdves by daily ablutions, are become very irreligious in other refpeCts, for
of late years, they make no annual atonement for fin. As very few
of them can l'wim, this is a full proof that the general opinion of the young
brood of favages being able to fwim like filh, as foon as they come
into the world, ought to be intirely exploded. The Indian matrons have
l'enfe enough to know, that the fwimming of human creatures is an
art to keep the head above water, which is gained by experience; and that
their helplefs infants are incapable of it. Probably, the report fprung from
their immerfing the new-born infants in deep running water by the way
of purification.

The Choktah are the craftieft, and moft ready-witted, of any of the
red nations I am acquainted with. It is furprifing to hear the wily
turns they ufe, in perfuading a perfon to grant them the favour they have
in view. Other nations generally behave with modefty and civility, with¬
out ever leffening themfelves by alking any mean favours. But the
Choktah, at every feafon, are on the begging lay. I feveral times told
their leading men, they were greater beggars, and of a much meaner
fpirit, than the white-haired Chikkafah women, who often were real
objects of pity. I was once fully convinced that none was fo fit to baffle
them in thofe low attempts without giving offence, as their own coun¬
try-men. One, in my prefence, expatiated on his late difappointment and
Ioffes, with the feveral unexpected caufes, and preffingly follicited his
auditor as a benevolent kinlman, to affllt him in his diftrefs: but the other

kept

An Account of the Choktah Nation . 305

kept his ear deaf to his importunity, and entirely evaded the artful aim of
the petitioner, by carrying on a difcourfe he had begun, before his rela¬
tion accofted him as a fuppliant. Each alternately began where they
had left off, the one to inforce the compliance of his prayer, and the other,
like the deaf adder, to elude the power of its charming him. Nature has
in a very furprifing manner, endued the Indian Americans, with a ftrong
comprehenfive memory, and great flow of language. I liftened with clofe
attention to their fpeeches, for a confiderable time; at laft the petitioner
defpairing of imprefling the other with fentiments in his favour, was forced
to drop his falfe and tragical tale, and become feemingly, a patient hearer
of the conclufion of the other’s long narrative, which was given him with
a great deal of outward compofure, and cool good-nature.

In the years 1746 and 1747, I was frequently perplexed by the Choktah
mendicants •, which policy directed me to bear, and conceal as well as I
could, becaufe I was then tranfa&ing public bufinefs with them. In 1747,
one of their warriors and a Chokchooma came to me for prefents ; which
according to my ufual cuftom in thole times, I gave, though much lefs
than they prefumed to expect. The former, ftrongly declaimed againft
the penurious fpirit of the French, and then highly applauded the open
generous tempers of the Englilh traders : for a confiderable time, he con-
trafted them with each other, not forgetting, in every point of compa-
rifon, to give us the preference in a high degree. He was endued with
fo much eloquence and fkill as to move the paflions, and obtain his point.
A confiderable number of Chikkafah warriors who were prefent, told me
foon after, that his Ikilful method of addrefling me for a bottle of fpiri-
tuous liquors, feemed to them aftonilhing: an old beloved man replied,
that the worft fort of fnakes were endued with the greateft (kill to infnare
and fuck their prey, whereas, the harmlefs have no fuch power.

The Indians in general do not .chufe to drink any fpirits, unlefs they can
quite intoxicate themfelves. When in that helplefs and fordid condition,
weeping and afking for more cokka hoome, “ bitter waters,” I faw one of
the drunkard’s relations, who fome time before had taken a like dofe, hold
the rum-bottle to the other’s head, faying, when he had drank deep, “ Hah,
you were very poor for drinking.” Though I appealed to all the Chik¬
kafah warriors prefent, that rum never flood on hand with me, when the
R r people

306 An Account of the Clioktah Nation.

people were at home, and feveral times affirmed to the importunate Chok-
tah, that it was entirely expended •, yet my denial ferved only to make him
more earneft : upon this, l told him, that though I had no ookka boome , I
had a full bottle of the water of arte boome , “ bitter ears,” meaning long
pepper, of which he was ignorant, as he had feen none of that kind. We
were of opinion that his eager thirft for liquor, as well as his ignorance of.
the burning quality of the pepper, and the refemblance of the words, which,
fignify things of a hot, though different nature, would induce the baccha¬
nal to try it. He accordingly applauded my generous difpofition, and faid,
“ his heart had all the while told him 1 would not aft beneath, the charac¬
ter I bore among his country-people.” The bottle was brought: I laid it
on the table, and told him, as he was then fpitting very much, (a general
cuftom with the Indians, when they are eager for any thing) “ if I drank it
all at one fitting, it would caufe me to fpit in earneft, as 1 ufed it, only
when 1 ate, and then very moderately; but though I loved it, if
his heart was very poor for it, I ffiould be ftlent, and not in the lead
grudge him for plealing his mouth.” He laid,. “ your heart is honeft in¬
deed; I thank you, for it is good to my heart, and makes it greatly to
rejoice.” Without any farther ceremony, he feized the bottle, uncorked it,
and fwallowed a large quantity of the burning liquid, till he- was near
ftrangled. He gafped for a confiderable time, and as foon as he reco¬
vered his breath, he faid Hah, and foon after kept ftroaking his throat
with his right hand. When the violence of this burning draught was pretty
well over, he began to flouriffi away, in praife of the ftrength of the
liquor, and bounty of the giver. He then went to his companion, and held
the bottle to his mouth, according to cuftom, till he took feveral hearty fwal- -
lows. This Indian feemed rather more fenfible of its fiery quality, than the
other, for it fuffocated him for a confiderable time; but as foon as he reco¬
vered his breath, he tumbled about on the floor in various poftures like a
drunken perfon, overcome by the force of liquor. In this, manner, each
of them renewed their draught, till they had finilhed the whole bottle,
into which two others had been decanted. The Chikkafah fpeftators
were furprifed at their taftelefs and voracious appetite, and laughed heartily
at them, mimicking the actions, language, and gefture of drunken fa-
vages. The burning liquor fo highly inflamed their bodies, that one of
the Clioktah to cool his inward parts, drank water till he almoft burft: the
ether rather than bear the ridicule of the people, and the inward fire that

diftrafted

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 307

diftrafted him, drowned himfelf the fecond night after in a broad and (hal¬
low clay hole, contiguous to the dwelling houfe of his uncle, who was the
Chikkafah Archimagus.

There was an incident, fomething fimilar, which happened in the year
1736, in Kanootarc, the moft northern town of the Cheerake. When all the
liquor was expended, the Indians went home, leading with them at my re-
queft, thofe who were drunk. One, however, foon came back, and earneftly
importuned me for more Nawobti, which fignifies both phyfic and fpirituous
liquors. They, as they are now become great liars, fufpeft all others of
being infefted with their own difpoQtion and principles. The more I ex-
cufed myfclf, the more anxious he grew, fo as to become offenfive. I then
told him, I had only one quarter of a bottle of ftrong phytic, which fick
people might drink in fmall quantities, for the cure of inward pains : and
laying it down before him, I declared 1 did not on any account choofe, to
part with it, but as his fpeech of few words, had become very long and
troublefome, he might do juft as his heart direfted him concerning it. He
took it up, laying his heart was very poor for phyfic, but that would cure
it, and make it quite ftreight. The bottle contained almoft three gills of
ftrong fpirits of turpentine, which in a (hort time, he drank off. Such a
quantity of the like phyfic would have demolilhed me,.or any white perfon.
The Indians in general, are either capable of ftiffering exquifite pain longer
than we are, or of fhewing more conftancy and compofure in their tor¬
ments. The troublefome vifitor foon tumbled down and foamed prodigi-
oufly.—I then fent for fome of his relations to carry him home. They
•came—I told them he drank greedily, and too much of the phyfic. They
faid, it was his ufual cuftom, when the red people bought the Englilh phyfic.
They gave him a decoAion of proper herbs and roots, the next day fweated
him, repeated the former draught, and he foon got well. As thofe tur¬
pentine fpirits did not inebriate him, but only inflamed his inteftines, he
well remembered the burning quality of my favourite phyfic, which he had
fo indifcreetly drank up, and cautioned the reft from ever teizing me for
any phyfic I had concealed, in any fort of bottles, for my own ufe -, other-
wife they might be Cure it would fpoil them, like the eating of fire.

The Choktah are in general more (lender than any other nation of la¬
vages I have feen. They are raw-boned, and furprifingly aftive in ball-
R t 2 playings

3 o8 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

playing; which is a very (harp exercife, and requires great ftrength and
exertion. In this manly exercife, no perfons are known to be equal to
them, or in running on level ground, to which they are chiefly ufed from
their infancy, on account of the fituation of their country, which hath
plenty of hills, but no mountains \ thefe lie at a confiderable diftance be¬
tween them and the Mulkohge. On the furvey of a prodigious fpace of
fertile land up the Miflifippi, and its numberlefs fine branches, we found
the mountains full three hundred miles from that great winding mafs of
waters.

Though the lands of Weft-Florida, for a confiderable diftance from
the fea-lhore, are very low, four, wet, and unhealthy, yet it abounds
with valuable timber for Ihip-building, which could not well be ex¬
pended in the long fpace of many centuries. This is a very material
article to fo great a maritime power, as Great Britain, efpecially as
it can be got with little expence and trouble. The French were faid
to deal pretty much that way; and the Spaniards, it is likely, will
now refume it, as the bounty of our late miniftry has allowed the French
to transfer New-Orleans to them, and hy that means they are able to dis¬
turb the Britilh colonies at pleafure. It cannot fail of proving a conftant
bone of contention : a few troops could foon have taken it during the late
war, for it was incapable of making any confiderable refiftance •, and even
F'rench effrontery could not have prefumed to withhold the giving it up, if the
makers of our laft memorable peace had not been fo extremely modeft, or
liberal to them. If it be allowed that the firft difcoverers and pofleflors of
a foreign wafte country, have a juft title to it, the French by giving up New
Orleans to Great Britain, would have only ceded to her, pofieffions,. which
they had no right to keep; for Col. Wood was the firft difcoverer of the
Miflifippi, who (lands on public record, and the chief part of ten years he
employed in fearching its courfe. This fpirited attempt he began in the
year 1654, and ended 1664. Capt. Bolton made the like attempt, in the
year 1670. Dodlor Cox of New Jerfey fent two (hips Anno 1698, which,
difcovered the mouth of it; and having failed a hundred miles up, he took
pofleflion of the whole country, and called it Carolana: whereas the French
did not difcover it till the year 1699, when they gave it the name of Coir
bert’s-river, in honour of their favourite minifter, and the whole country
they called Loifinana, which may foon be exchanged, for Philippiana—till,
the Americans give it another and more defirable name.

The

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 309

The.Choktah being employed by the French, together with their other red
confederates, againft the Englilh Chikkafah, they had no opportunity of
inuring themfelves to the long-winded chace, among a great chain of deep
craggy mountains. They are amazingly artful however in deceiving an ene¬
my they will fallen the paws and trotters of panthers, bears, and buffalos,
to their feet and hands, and wind about like the circlings of fuch animals,
in the lands they ufually frequent. They alfo will mimick the different notes
of wild fowl, and thus often outwit the favages they have difputes with.
Their enemies fay, that when at war, it is impofTible to difcover their
tracks, unlefs they fhould be fo lucky as to fee their perfons. They aft
very timoroufly againft the enemy abroad, but behave as defperate veterans
when attacked in their own country. ’Till they were fupplied by the En-
glilh traders with arms and ammunition, they had very little fkill in
killing deer ; but they improve very faft in that favourite art: no fa¬
vages are equal to them in killing bears, panthers, wild cats, &c. that
refort in thick cane-fwamps; which fwamps are fometimes two or three
miles over, and an hundred in length, without any break either fide of
the ft ream.

About Chriftmas, the he and (he bears always feparate. The former ufually
fnaps off a great many branches of trees, with which he makes the bottom of
his winter’s bed, and carefully raifes it to a proper height, with the green tops
of large canes; he choofes fuch folitary thickets as are impenetrable by the fun-
beams. The (he bear takes an old large hollow tree for her yeaning winter-
houfe, and chufes to have the door above, to enable her to fecure her young
ones from danger. When any thing difturbs them, they gallop up a tree,
champing their teeth, and bridling their hair, in a frightful manner: and
when they are wounded, it is furprifing from what a height they will pitch
on the ground, with their weighty bodies, and how foon they get up, and
run off. When they take up their winter-quarters, they continue the greater
part of two months, in almoft an entire ftate of inactivity : during that
time, their tracks reach no farther than to the next water, of which they
fcldom drink, as they frequently fuck their paws in their lonely recefs,,
and impoverifh their bodies, to nourifh them. While they are em¬
ployed in that furprifing talk of nature, they cannot contain themfelves
in filence, but are fo well pleafed with their repaft, that they continue ring¬
ing bum um um: as their pipes are none of the weakeft, the Indians by this

means.

3 io An Account of the Choktah Nation.

means often are led to them from a confiderable diftance, and then (hoot them
down. But they are forced to cut a hole near the root of the tree, wherein
the (he bear and her cubs are lodged, and drive them out by the force of
fire and fuffocating fmoke ; and as the tree is partly rotten, and the infide
dry, it foon takes fire. In this cafe, they become very fierce, and would
fight any kind of enemy ; but, commonly, at the firft lhot, they are either
killed or mortally wounded. However, if the hunter chance to mifs his
aim, he fpeedily makes off to a fappling, which the bear by over-clafping
cannot climb: the crafty hunting dogs then aft their part, by biting be¬
hind, and gnawing its hams, till it takes up a tree. I iiave been often af-
fured both by Indians and others, who get their bread by hunting in the
woods, that the Ihe-bear always endeavours to keep apart from the male
during the helplel's ftate of her young ones j otherwife he would endeavour
to kill them ; and that they had frequently feen the fhe bear kill the male
on the fpot, after a defperate engagement for the defence of her young ones.
Of the great numbers I have feen with their young cubs, I never law a
lie bear at fuch times, to affociate with them : fo that it feems one part of
the Roman Satyrill’s fine moral leffon, inculcating peace and friendlhip, is
not juft, Scavis inter fe convenit Urfis.

At the time Mobille (that grave-yard for Britons) was ceded to Great-Bri-
tain, the lower towns of the Choktah brought down all the Chikkafah
fealps they had taken, in their thievifli way of warring, and had them new
painted, and carrried them in proceflion on green boughs of pine, by way
of bravado, to Ihew their contempt of the Englilh. They would not
fpeak a word to the Chikkafah traders, and they follicited the French for
their content to re-commence war againft us, and eftablilh them again by force
of arms, in their weftern poffeifions •, but they told them, their king had
firmly concluded upon the ceflion, through his own benevolence of heart, to
prevent the further effulion of innocent blood.—By this artful addrefs, they
fupported their credit with the favages, in the very point which ought to
have ruined it.

When the Choktah found thcmfelves dipped in war with the Muf-
kohge •, they follicited the Englilh for a fupply of ammunition, urging with
much truth, tiiat common fenfe ought to direct us to aflift them, and deem
the others our enemies as much as theirs. But Tumbikpe-garrifon was
evacuated through the unmanly fear of giving umbrage to the Muf-

kohge,

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

3 ir

kohge, at the very time it would have been of the utmoft fervice to the
general intereft of our colonies to have continued it.

The commander concealed his timorous and precipitate retreat, even from
me and another old trader, till the very night he confufedly let off for Mo-
bille by water, and left to us the trouble of apologizing to the favages for
his mifconduA. But after he got to a place of fafety, he flourifhed away of
his wifdom and prowefs. As a juft ftigma on thofe who abufe their public
truft, I cannot help obferving, that in imitation of fome other rulers, he
perfuaded the Indians not to pay us any of our numerous out-ftanding debts,,
though contrary to what was fpecified in our trading licences. They
have not courage enough to venture their own valuable lives to thofe red
marts of trade -, if they had, they would perfuade the Indians rather to
pay their debts honeftly, year by year, as we truft them in their wanr,
and depend on their promife and fidelity. The gentlemen, who formerly-
traded with the Mufkohge, told me that the Georgia-governor, through a
like generous principle, forgave that nation once all the numerous debts
they owed the traders. But as foon as the Indians underftood they would
not be credited again, under any circumftances whatfoever, they confented to
pay their debts, and declared the Governor to be a great mad-man, by pre¬
tending to forgive debts contraAed for valuable goods, which he never
purchafed, nor intended to pay for.

Though the French Louifianians were few, and far difperfed, as well as
furrounded by the favages, yet clofe application and abilities in their vari¬
ous appointments," fufficiently made up their lack of numbers. When, and
where, their fecuruy deemed to require it, they with a great deal of art fomented
divifions among their turbulent red neighbours, and endeavoured to keep the
balance of power pretty even between them. Though they had only one
garrifon in the country of the Mufkohge, and another in that of the Chok¬
tah, yet the commanders of thofe two polls, managed fo well,, that they
intimidated thofe two potent nations, by raifing mifunderftandings between
them, and threatening (when occafion required) to fet the one againft the
other, with their red legions of the north, unlefs ample fatisfaAion was
fpeedily given by the offending party, and folemn promifes of a ftriA
obfervance of true friendfhip for the time to come. How far our fuper-
intendants, and commiffioners of Indian affairs, have imitated that wife
7 copy.

312 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

copy, our traders can feelingly defcribe : and it will be a happinefs, if
our three wdlern colonies have not the like experience, in the 1'pace
of a few years. We allure them, that either the plan, or the means,
for producing fuch an efiett, has been pretty well concerted by the authors
of that dangerous and fatal peace between the Mulkohge and Choktah.
Their own parry indeed will greatly applaud it, and fo will the much
obliged Spaniards, cfpecially if they foon enter into a war with Great Bri¬
tain. It is to be wifhed, that thofe who preach peace and good-will to
all the favage murderers of the Britifh Americans, would do the fame
as to their American fellow-fubjefb,—and nor, as fome have lately done,
cry peace to the Indians, and feek to plunge the mercenary fwords of fol-
diers into the breafts of thofe of our loyal colonifts, who are the moft
powerful of us, becaufe they oppofe the meafures of an arbitrary miniftry,
and will not be enflaved.

In the year 176 6, the Choktah received a confidcrable blow from the
Mulkohge. Their old diftinguifhed war-leader, before fpoken of, Minggo
Humma Ecbeto, fet off againft the Mulkohge, with an hundred and
fixty warriors, to cut off by furprife one of their barrier towns: as the
waters were low, a couple of runners brought him a mclfage from
the nation, acquainting him there were two white men on their way to
the Mulkohge, and therefore defired him to fend them back, led: they
Ihould inform them of the expedition, and by that means, endanger
the lives of the whole. But though he treated thefe traders kindly at
his war-camp, and did not Ihew the leaft diffidence of them refpefting their
fecrecy; and fent this account back by the running Ynefiengcrs to his
advifers, that the Englifh were his friends, and could not be reafona-
bly fufpefted of betraying them, if it were only on the fituation of
their own trading bufincfs, which frequently called them to various
places, — yet thofe bafe-minded and perfidious men violated the ge¬
nerous faith repofed in them, and betrayed the lives of their credulous
friends. They fet off with long marches, and as foon as they arrived
in the country of the Mulkohge, minutely informed them of the Chok-
tah’s hoflile intentions, and number, and the probable place of attack¬
ing the aforefaid camp, to the beft advantage. The news was joy¬
fully received, and, as they had reafon to believe they could fur-
prife the enemy, or take them at a difadvantage, in fome convenient
7 place

An Account of the Clioktah Notion . 313

place neaf their own barriers, a number of chofen warriors well pre¬
pared, fet off in order to fave their former credit, by revenging the re¬
peated affronts the Choktah leader had given them in every engagement.
He, in the moil infulting manner, had often challenged their whole nation
to meet him and his at any fixt time of a moon, and place, and fighc
it out, when the conquerors (hould be mailers of the conquered—for the
Mufkohge ufed to ridicule the Choktah* by faying, they were like wolf-
cubs, who would not take the water, but the thick fwamp, as their only
place of fecurity againft the enemy. It mult here be remembered, that the
Indians in general, are guided by their dreams when they attend their holy
ark to war, reckoning them fo many oracles, or divine intimations, de-
figned for their good: by virtue of thofe fuppofed, facred dictates, they will
fometimes return home, by one, two, or three at a time, without the lead:
cenfure, and even with applaufe, for this their religious conduit. Thus,
one hundred and twenty of thefe Choktah, after having intimidated them-
felves apart from the reft, with vifionary notions, left the war-camp and
returned home. Our gallant friend, Minggo Humma Ecbeto, addreffed his
townlmen on this, and perfuaded them to follow him againft the enemy,
faying, it was the part of brave warriors to keep awake, and not dream like
old women. He told them their national credit was at ftake for their
warlike condufl under him •, and that honour prompted him to proceed
againft the hateful enemy, even by himfelf, though he was certain his
townfmen and warlike relations would not forfake him. Forty of them
proceeded, and next day they were furrounded by an hundred and fixty
of the Mufkohge, feveral of whom were on horfeback to prevent their
cfcape. When the Choktah faw their dangerous iituation, and that
they had no alternative but a hidden, or lingering death, they fought as
became defperate men, deprived of hope. While their arrows and ammu¬
nition lafted, they killed and wounded a confiderablc number of the oppo¬
site party : but the enemy obferving their diftreffed fituation, drew up into
a narrow circle, and rulhed upon the remaining and helplefs few, with their
guns, darts, clubs, and tomohawks, and killed thirty-eight. They were
not able to captivate but two, whom they deftined for the fiery torture:
but at night, when the camp was afleep in too great fecurity, one of them
fortunately made his efcape out of a pair of wooden (locks. They had
flattered him with the hopes of being redeemed ; but he told them he was

$X4 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

ftw hiueh of a warrior to confide in their falfe protnifes. He got fafe home-,,
and related the whole affair.

Formerly) by virtue oF the preffmg engagement of a prime magiftrate
of South-Carolina, I undertook to open a trade with the Choktah, and re-
feoncile their old-ftanding enmity with the Chikkafah. I was promifed
to be indemnified in all neeeffary charges attending that attempt. As
the Choktah, by the perfuafions of the French, had killed my partner
in the trade, I was delirous of any favourable opportunity of retaliating:
Imperially-, as we were expofed to perpetual dangers and Ioffes, by the French
rewards offered either for our fcalps or horfes-tails ; and as the French were
‘nfilally fliort of goods, while Great Britain was at war with them, we
were liable to molt damages from them in time of peace. They ufed
to keep an alphabetical lift of all the names of leading favages, in the va¬
rious nations where they ingarrifoned themfelves j and they duly paid them,,
every year, a certain quantity of goods befides, for all the damages they
did to the Chikkafah, and our traders; which tempted them conftantly
to exert their abilities, to the good liking of their political employers. It
happened, however, that one of the French of Tumbikpe-forr, being
guided by Venus- inftead of Apollo, was detefted in violating the law of.
marriage,with the favourite wife of the warlike chieftain of Quanflieto,.
Shulajhummajhlabe, who by his feveral tranfcendant qualities, had arrived to
the higheft pitch of the red glory. He was well known in Georgia and
South-'Carolina, by the name of Red Shoes ; as formerly noticed. As there
lived in his town, a number of the Chokchoomah, the fenior tribe of the
Chikkafah and Choktah, and Who had a free intercourfe with each of
their countries, we foon had an account of every material thing that
paired there. I therefore refolved to improve fo favourable an opportu¬
nity as feettled to prefent itlelf, and accordingly foon privately, convened
two of the leading men of the Chikkafah nation, to affift me to execute the
plan I had in view. One was the Archimagus, Paftabe, known in our
colonies, by the name of “ the Jockey,”—and the other, by that of Pa.be-
mingc-Amalahta, who was the only Indian t ever knew to die of a
confurtiption •, which he contrafted by, various engagements with the
enemy when far off at war, contrary to their general rule of martial purifi¬
cation. The violent exercife of running a great drftance under the violent
rays of the fun, and over.fandy, or hilly, grounds, would not allow him to

infwamp».

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 315

infwamp, and he fired his blood to fuch a degree, that a few years after
this, when on a vifit to our Englilb fettlements, he died at Augufta with
this ailment. It is needful to mention thofe well-known circumftances,
as the following relation of fads, depends in a confiderable meafure on
them.

We three agreed to fend fome prefents to Red Shoes, with a formal fpeecb,
defiring him to accept them with a kind heart, and (hake hands with us as
became brothers, according to the old beloved fpeech. Their own friendly
meffages, and treaties of peace, are always accompanied with fo many forts
of prefents, as their chiefs number. We in a few days packed up a
fufficient quantity, to bury the tomohawk which the French had thruft
into their unwilling hands, and to dry up the tears of the injured, and fet
their hearts at eafe, for the time to come, by joining with the Englilh and
their old friendly Chikkafah, Inggona Sckenoopa toocbcnafe, “ in the triple
knot of friendlhip,” in order to cut off the dangerous fnake’s head, and ut¬
terly deftroy the power of its forked tongue. As our real grievances
were mutually the fame, and numerous, we gave liberally. Having every
thing as well concerted for the embafly, as fuch occafions require, my
two red friends fent a trufty meffenger for a couple of the forefaid neu¬
tral Indians, who had been a few days in the Chikkafah country, to
accompany him late at night to my trading houfe. They readily obeyed ;
and, as the good-natured men and their families, through friendlhip to us,
mult infallibly have been facrificed to French policy, if we failed of fuc-
cefs, or they were difcovered by captives, or any other means, we ufed
the greateft fecrefy, and placed a centinel to keep off all other perfons dur¬
ing our private congrefs. After we had converfed with them a confiderable
time, on the neceffity of the propofed attempt, and the certainty of fueceed-
ing in it, we opened our two large budgets, and read over the ftrong em¬
blematical contents, according to their idiom, till we gave them a true
imprdfion of the whole. The next day we took care to fend them off
■well pleafed : and as feveral material circumftances confpired to affure us they
would faithfully difcharge the office of truft, which we repofed in them,
we in a Ihort time had the fatisfaftion to hear by other private runners of
their countrymen, from our brave and generous patron. Red Shoes, that
they were fo far from breaking the public faith, that they read to him every
material head of our embafly, and urged it with all their powers.

Sf 2

That

316 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

That red chieftain introduced our friendly embafiy, with fuch fecrefy
and addrefs to all the head-men he could confide in, that he foon perfuaded
moil of them in all the neighbouring towns, to join heartily with him in
his laudable plan. The fharpnefs of his own feelings for the bafe injury he
had received from the French, .and the well-adapted prefents we fent him
and his wife and gallant alfociates, contributed greatly to give a proper
weight to our embafiy. Such motives as thefe are too often the main-
fprings that move the various wheels of government, even in the chriftian
world. In about a month from the time we began to treat with Red-
Shoes, he fent a confiderable body of his warriors, with prefents to me, as
the reprefentative of the Englilh traders, and to my Chikkafah friends,
confiding of fwans-wings, white beads, pipes and tobacco; which was a
ftrong confirmation of our treaty of peace,—and he earneftly requefted of
me to inform them with that candour, which fhould always be obferved by
honeft friends, whether I could firmly engage that our traders would live,
and deal among them, as we did with the Chikkafah -, for a difappointment
that way, he faid, would prove fatal, fhould we entangle them with the
French, in refentment of the many injuries they had long unprovokedly
done us. I quieted their apprehenfions on that material point of jealoufy,
to their entire fatisfadlion, and my two Chikkafah friends foon expatiated
upon the fubjeft to him, with a great deal of that life, wit and humour, fo
peculiar to the red Americans. We explained and confirmed anew, the
whole contents of our former talk concerning the dangerous French fnake -
afiuring them, that if they did not foon exert themfelves againft it, as be¬
came brave free-men, they would flill continue not only poor, and fhame-
fully naked, below the ftate of other human beings, but be defpifed, and
abufed, in proportion to their mean paflive conduft,—their greateft and moft
favourite war-chieftains not excepted, as they faw verified in their chief
leader, Sbiolajhummajhtabe. But if they exerted themfelves, they, would
be as happy as our friendly, brave, and free Chikkafah, whom the French
armies, and all their red confederates, could no way damage but as hidden
fnakes, on account of their own valour, and the fteady friendfhip of the
Englilh,—who were always faithful to their friends even, to death, as every
river and creek fufficiently teftified, all the way from the Englifh fettlements
to the Chikkafah country. We mentioned how many were killed at fe-
veral places, as they were going in a warlike manner to fupply their be¬
loved friends, without any being ever captivated by the numerous enemy,

though

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 3 \j

though often attacked at a difadvantage—which ought to allure them,
that whenever the Engliih lhaked hands with people, their hearts were-
always honed. We requeded them therefore to think, and aft, .as our
brotherly Chikkafah, who by drongly holding the chain of friendlhip be¬
tween them and the Engliih, were able in their open fields, to dedrov the-
French armies, and in the woods bravely to fight, and baffle all the
efforts of their defpicable mercenary enemies, though their numbers of
fighting men confided of few- more than one hundred to what the Choktah-
contained in old hundreds, or thoufands. The French, we added, were
liberal indeed; but to whom, or for what ? They gave prefents to the
head-men, and the mod eloquent fpeakers of their country, to inflave the
red, but would not fupply them with arms and ammunition,, without the
price of blood againd our traders and the friendly Chikkafah; that they
themfelves were witnefles, a whole town of fprightly promifing young men
had not now more than five or fix guns; but they would learn to
kill as many deer as the didinguilhed Chikkafah hunters, if they firmly
Ihook hands with the Engliih. We convinced them, that the true emblem
of the Engliih was a dred white deer-lkin, but that the French dealt
with them only in long fcalping knives 5 that we had a tender feeling,
when we heard the mourning voice of the tender-hearted widow, and only
fupplied our friends in their own defence, or in revenge of crying blood ;
but that the French delighted in blood, and were always plotting how to
dedroy them, and take away their lands, by fetting them at war againd
thofe who loved them, and would fecure their liberties, without any
other view than as became brothers, who fairly exchanged their goods. We
defired them to view the Chikkafah driplings, how readily their kindly
hearts led them to liden to the friendly fpeech of their Engliih trading
fpeaker, becaufe they knew we loved them, and enabled them to appear
in the genteel drefs of red people;

At the whoop, they loon appeared, and cheerfully complied with our
various requeds, to the great fatisfaftion of our new Choktah friends. The
Chikkafah head-men told them with pleafure, that they were glad their
own honed eyes had feen the pure effefts of love to their Engliih trader; and
that their old people, time out of mind, had taught them lb. Then they
humouroully enlarged on the unfriendly conduft of the French in a com¬
parative manner, and perfuaded them to keep their eyes open, and re*

member.

3t8 At Account of the Choktah Nation.

member well what they had ieen and heard, and to tell it to all their
head-men.

We adjufted every thing in the moft friendly manner, to the intire fatif-
faftion of the Choktah. I l'upplied each of them with arms, ammunition,
and prefents in plenty — gave them a French fealping knife which had
been ufed againft us, and even vermilion, to be ufed in the flourilhing way,
with the dangerous French fnakes, when they killed and fealped them.
They returned home extremely well pleafed, echoed every thing they had
feen and heard ; and declared that the Chikkafah, in their daily drefs, far ex¬
ceeded the beft appearance their country-men could make in the molt Ihowy
manner, except thofe whom the French paid to make their lying mouths
ftrong. They foon went to work—they killed tire ftrolling French pedlars,
—turned out againft the Mifiifippi Indians and Mobillians, and the flame
fpeedily raged very high. One of the Choktah women, ran privately to
inform a French pedlar of the great danger he was in, and urged him
immediately to make his efcape. He foon faddled a fine ftrong fprightly
horle he chanced to have at hand: juft as he mounted, the dreadful death
-whoo whoop was founded in purfuit of him, with the fwift-footed red
Afahel, SbooLiJtJUmmaJhtabe, leading the chace. Though, from that place,
ithe land-path was moftly level to Tumpikbe-garrifon (about half a day’s
march) and though the Chikkafah and Choktah horfes are Spanilh barbs,
and long winded, like wolves s yet Red-Shoes, far ahead of the reft, ran
him down in about the fpace of fifteen miles, and had fealped the unfortu¬
nate rider fome time before the reft appeared.

It is furprifing to fee the long continued fpeed of the Indians in general—
though fome of us have often ran the fwifteft of them out of fight, when
on the chafe in a colleftive body, for about the diftance of twelve miles;
yet, afterward, without any feeming toil, they would ftretch on, leave us
out of fight, and out-wind any horfe. When this retaliating fcheme was plan¬
ned and executing, I was the only Britifh fubject in the Chikkafah country ;
and as 1 had many goods on hand, 1 ftaid in the nation, while we fent down
our horfes to the firft l'.ngliih fettlements,—which was full eight hundred
miles diftant, before the two Floridas were ceded to us. Seventeen were
the broken days, according to the Indian pbrafe, when the Choktah en¬
gaged to return with the French fealps, as a full confirmation of their hav-

An Account of tie Choktah Nation.

3*9

fiig declared war againft them, and of their ardent defire of always lhaking
hands with the Engliih. The power of the French red mercenaries was
however fo very great, that Red Shoes could not with fafety comply with
his deputy’s promife to me, to fend the Frencli fnake’s head, in the time ap¬
pointed by our flicks hieroglyphically painted, and notched in due form.
The fall time drawing on, obliged me to fct off for the Koofah-town,
which is the moft weftern of the Mufkohge nation, about three hundred
miles diftant. I was accompanied by my two cheerful and gallant Chik-
kafah friends, already mentioned, with forty of their chofen warriors,
brave as ever trod the ground, and faithful under the greateft dangers
even to the death. On our way down, efeorting the returning cargo, four
Ghikkafah, who were palling home through the woods, having difco-
vered us, and obferving in the evening a large camp of 80 French
Choktah in purfuit of us ; they returned on our tracks at full fpeed, to
put us on our guard : but though we were fo few, and had many women
and children to protefl, befldes other incumbrances, yet as the enemy
knew by our method of camping, and marching, we had difcovered them,.
they durft not attack us.

Another time there was a hunting camp of only feventeen Chikkafah,
with their wives and children, who were attacked by above fixty Chok¬
tah ; but they fought them a long time, and fo defperately, that they killed
and wounded feveral, and drove them lhamefully off, without any k>fs.
It is ufual for the women to ling the enlivening war fong in the time of an
attack ■, and it inflames the men’s fpirits fo highly, that they become as
tierce as lions. 1 never knew an inftance of the Indians running off, though
from a numerous enemy, and leaving their women and children to their
barbarous hands.

Soon after we arrived at the upper weftern town of the Mufkohge,
which was called Oot.jlJab, and fettled by the Chikkafah and Nahchee,
a great company of Red Shoes warriors came up with me, with the
French fealps, and other trophies of war: but becaufe a body of our
Mufkohge mercenary traders found their account in dealing with the
French at the Alebahma-fort, they to the great rifle of their own
•ountry’s welfare, lodged fo many caveats in my way by the mediation

220 An Account of the Ch'okfah Nation.

of the Mufkohge, that I found it neceflary to confent that the fcalps
fhould be fent with the other trophies, in a Mufkohge white deer-fkin,
to the French fort at the di(lance of feventy miles, to be buried deep
in the ground, inftead of fending them by .the Choktah runners, to
his excellency the governor of South-Carolina, who had engaged me
to ftrive to open a trade with thofe Indians. Thefe opulent and mer¬
cenary white favages being now dead, I (hall not difgrace the page with
their worthlels names. Soon after we had reached the Chikkafah country.
Red Shoes came to pay us a friendly viftt, accompanied with a great
many head-men and warriors, both to be relieved in their poverty, and to con¬
cert the beft meafures of ftill annoying the common enemy. We behaved
kindly and free to them, to their entire fatisfaftion, and fent confiderable
prefents to many head-men who (laid at home, in confirmation of our
ftrong friendfhip j acquainting them of our various plans of operation
againft the enemy, in defence of their lives, freedom, and liberty of trade,
in which the Engtifh and Chikkafah would faithfully fupport them. Every
thing was delivered to them according to our intention, and as kindly re¬
ceived. And as all the Indians are fond of well-timed novelty, efpeci-
ally when they expert to be gainers by it, the name of the friendly and
generous Englifh was now echoed, from town to town, except in thofe
few which had large penfions from the French.

In the beginning of the following fpring, which was 1747, above fifty
•warriors from feveral towns of the Mufkohge, came to the Chikkafah coun¬
try, on their way to war againft the Aquahpah Indians, on the weftern fide
of the Miflifippi,.one hundred and fifty miles above the Nahchee old fields.
By our good treatment of them, and well-timed application, they joined
a body of Chikkafah warriors under Payah Matalab, and made a fleet of
large cyprefs-bark-canoes, in which they embarked under the direction of
.three red admirals, in long pettiaugers that had been taken from the French,
as they were palling from New Orleans up to the Illinois. They pro¬
ceeded down the Miflifippi to the French fettlements, and attacked and
•burned a large village at break of day, though under the command of a
Hockade-fort; from which the Chikkafah leader was wounded with a
grape-fhot in his fide. On this, as they defpaired of his life, according
to their univerfal method in fuch a cafe, they killed mod of their unfortu¬
nate captives on the weftern bank of the Miflifippi j and enraged with
1 fury,

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

321

fury, they overfpread the French fettlements, to a great diftance, like a
dreadful whirlwind, deftroying every thing before them, to the aftonifhment
and terror even of thofe who were far remote from the Ikirts of the dire¬
ful ftorm. The French Louifianians were now in a defponding ftate, as
we had beaten them in their own favourite political element, in which they
had too often been fuccefsful even at the Britifh court, after our troops
and navies had fcoured them out of the field and the ocean. They had
no reafon here to expeft any favour of us, as we were only retaliating the
long train of innocent blood of our fellow-fubjedts they had wantonly caufed
to be fhed by their red mercenaries, and their fears now became as great as
their danger—but they were needlefs; for though the Alebahma French,
and many towns of the Mufkohge, were in a violent ferment, when the fore-
faid warriors returned home, yet by the treacherous mediation of the above-
mentioned traders and their bafe afiociates, the breach was made up. Had
they been bleft with the leaft fpark of that love for the good of their coun¬
try, which the favages and French are, they could have then perfuaded
the Indians, to have driven the French from the dangerous Alebahma;
and an alliance with the Chikkafah and Choktah would have effe&ually
deftroyed the dangerous line of circumvallation they afterwards drew
around our valuable colonies. And as the Cheerake, by their fituation,
might eafily have been induced to join in the formidable treaty, they with
encouragement, would have proved far fuperior to all the northern red
legions the French were connefted with.

At that time I fent to the Governor of South Carolina, a large packet,
relating the true fituation of our Indian affairs, direfted on his majefty’s
fervice: but though it contained many things of importance, (which the
French, under fuch circumftances, would have faithfully improved) and
required immediate difpatch; our Mufkohge traders, to whofe care I
had fent it by feme Chikkafah runners, were fo daringly bafe as to open it,
and deftroy what their felf-interefted views feemed to require, and delayed
the conveyance of the reft a confiderable time, to prevent others from reap¬
ing the benefit of the trade before them. When I went down, I com¬
plained of their mifconduft, and the Governor having promifed me a
public feal, threatened them loudly -, but fome after circumftances in trade
made him to think it not worth while to put his threats in execution.
When the French were deftitute of goods at Tumbikpe-garrifon, while
T t they

3 22

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

they were at war with the Englifh, their policy allowed them to fufFer
feveral of our traders to deal with the Choktah, without any interruption,
in order to keep them quiet j but as foon as they had a proper fupply, they
excited their treacherous friends to plunder, and kill our people. They,
who had the fortune to get fafe away, made great returns j which induced
fome to entertain too high notions of their profits, and fo ftrangers hazarded
too much at once. While the French had pofiefiion of Tumbikpe,.
we, who knew them, ufed to fend there only fmall cargoes from the
Chikkafah country, to avoid tempting them too far : but one of our great
men was reported- to have perfuaded a couple of gentlemen to join in com¬
pany with- his brother, (well known by the name of the Sphynx com¬
pany) in the Choktah trade, and to have fupplied them very largely.
They loaded, and fent off 360 valuable horfes, which with all other
concomitant charges, in going to fuch a far-diftant country, fwelledi
it to a high amount. The traders, who were employed to vend the
valuable cargo* gave large prefents to fix of the Mufkohge leaders,,
known to be moft attached to the Britifh intereft, to efcort them, with a-
body of the Choktah, into the country. They paffed by Alebahma,
in the ufual parade of the Indian-traders, to the terror of the people-
in the fort. They proceeded as far- as a powerful body of our Choktah.
friends had appointed to meet them, but confiderably overftaid the fixed
time there, in want of- provifions, as their common fafety would not allow
them to go a hunting : by the forcible perfuafion of the Mufkohge head*
men, they unluckily returned about one hundred and forty miles back on .
a north-eaft-courfe. But a few days after* a party of Choktah friends
came to their late camp, in order to encourage them to come on without
the leaft dread, as a numerous party were watching an opportunity to
attack the French, and their own flavifh countrymenand that they would
furely engage them very fuccefsfully, while the traders were fording Mo-
bille-river, eight miles above Tumbikpe-fort, under a powerful efcortment
of their faithful friends. So wifely had they laid their plan, though it was.
difconcerted by the cautious conduit of the Mufkohge head-men : for they,
are all fo wary and jealous, that when they fend any of their people on a
diftant errand, they fix the exalt time they are to return home ; and if they,
exceed but one day, they on the fecond fend out a party om difcovery *.

Our

* I fhali here mention an ioliance of that kind: at this time, a hunting camp of the ChiK-
kaiith went out to the extent of their winter-iimits between the Choktah and Mnfkohge

countries a

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 323

Our Choktah traders having been thus induced to return to the Muf-
kohge country, proceeded foon afterwards feventy miles on almoft a nor¬
thern courfe, and from thence to the Chikkafah about weft by north—300
miles of very mountainous land, till within forty miles of that extenfive
and fertile country—afterward, on a fouthern direiftion to the Choktah, 160
miles. This was a very oblique courfe, fomewhat refembling the letter
G reverted, its tail from Charles-town, confifting of 720 miles, and
the head of 530, in all 1250 miles—a great diftance to travel through
woods, with loaded horfes, where they fhifted as they could, when
the day’s march was over; and through the varying feafons of the
year. Thefe traders were charged with great negleft, in being fo long

T t 2

324 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

before they reached the Choktah country} this was to invalidate the
pretenfions of two other gentlemen, tow ards obtaining bills of exchange on
the government, according to the ftrong promifes they had, for any
lodes they might fuftain in their Choktah cargo of goods, &c. Not-
withftanding the former were utter ftrangers to the Chikkalah and Choktah,
and in juftice could only expeft the common privilege of Britilh
fubjefts, yet his Excellency bellowed on them a large piece of written
Iheep-fkin, bearing the impreffion of the threatening lion and unicorn, to
frighten every other trader from dealing with the Choktah, at their peril.
The Chikkafah traders were much terrified at the unufual fight of the en¬
livened piflures of fuch voracious animals. My fituation caul'ed me then
to be filent, on that ftrange point; but when the chief of them, who carried
thofe bees-wax-pidtures, came to my trading houfe, chiefly to inlarge on
the dreadful power of thofe fierce creatures,—I told him, as they anfwered
the defign, in making fo many trembling believers, among the Indians,
I did not imagine him fo weak as to attempt to impofe his fcare-crows
upon me; but that, as his Excellency had dipped me too deep in a
dangerous and very expenfive affair, and had done me the honour to
fend for me to Charles-town on his majefty’s fervice, at the very time
I could have fecured them in the efteem of the fickle Choktah, I Ihould
not by any means oppofe their aim of grafping the whole Choktah trade,
be their plan ever fo unwife and unfair. The letter the gentleman deli¬
vered to me was dated April 22, Anno 1747, in which his excellency ac-
knowleged, in very obliging terms, that I had been very ferviceable to the
government, by my management among the Choktah, and might be af-
fured of his countenance and friendlhip. As the reft of it concerned my-
felf in other matters, and contained fome things of the meafures of go¬
vernment relating to the point in view, it may be right not to publilh it:
but it is among the public, records in Charles-town, and may be feen in
the fecretary’s office. The traders, after this interview, fet off for the
Choktah; and I in a few days to South Carolina.

Soon after I arrived at Charles-town, I could not but highly refent the
governor’s ungenerous treatment of, and injuftice to me, in fending for me
to the negledt of my trade, only to carry on his unparalleled favourite
fcheme,—and I foon fet off for the Chikkafah, without taking the leaft for¬
mal leave of his Excellency. By fome means, he foon knew of my depar-

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 325

turf, and perfuaded G. G—n, Efq; (one of the two friends in South-
Carolina, who only could influence me againft my own liking) to follow
till he overtook me, and urge me to return, and accompany me to his
Excellency’s houfe. At his earned follicitations, the gentleman complied,
came up with me, and prevailed on me to go back according to requeft.
I had plenty of courtly excufes for my complaints and grievances, and in
the hearing of my friend was earneftly prefled to forget and forgive all
that was pad ; with folemn promifes of full redrefs, according to his for¬
mer engagement of drawing bills of exchange in my favour, on the go¬
vernment, if South-Carolina had not honour enough to repay me what 1
had expended in opening a trade with the numerous Choktah—befides
gratuities for hardlhips, hazards, &c.

I wilh I could here alfo celebrate his fincerity and faithfulnefs on this occa-
fion—As 1 could not well fufpcd a breach of public faith, after it had been
pledged in fo folemn a manner, he had not much difficulty in detaining me
on fundry pretexts, till the expe&ed great Choktah crop of deer-fkins and
beaver mud have been gathered, before I could poffibly return to the
Chikkafah country, and from thence proceed to rival the Sphynx-com-
pany. Under thofe circumftances, I was detained fo late in November,
that the fnow fell upon me at Edifto, the fi'rft day, in company with

Captain W-d, an old trader of the Okwhufke, . who was going to

Savanah. In the feverity of winter, froft, fnow, hail, and heavy rains
fucceed each other, in thefe climes, fo that I partly rode, and partly fwam
to the Chikkafah country 5 for not expending to flay long below, I took no
leathern canoe. Many of the broad deep creeks, that were almofl: dry
when I went down, had now far overflowed their banks, ran at a rapid
rate, and were unpaflable to any but defperate people: when I got within
forty miles of the Chikkafah, the rivers and fwamps were dreadful,
by rafts of timber driving down the former, and the great fallen trees
floating in the latter, for near a mile in length. Being forced to wade deep
through cane-fwamps or woody thickets, it proved very troublefome to
keep my fire arms dry, on which, as a fecond means, my life depended •,
for, by the high rewards of the French, fome enemies were always rambling
about in fearch of us. On theeaftern fide of one of the rivers, in taking a
fweep early in a wet morning, in queft: of my horfes, I difcovered fmoke
on a fmall piece of rifing ground tn a fwamp, pretty near the edge 5 l

moved

326 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

moved nearer from tree to tree, till I difcovered them to be Choktah creep¬
ing over the fire. I withdrew without being difcovered, or the lead: ap-
prehenfion of danger, as at the word, I could have immediately iofwamped,
fecured a retreat with my trudy fire-arms, and taken through the river
and the broad fwamp, which then refembled a mixt ocean of wood and
water. I foon oblerved the tracks of my horfes, found them, and fct off.
At the didance of an hundred yards from the river, there was a large and
deep lagoon, in the form of a femi-circle. As foon as I fwam this, and got
on the bank, I drank a good draught of rum :—in the middle of the river, I
was forced to throw away one of my belt-piftols, and a long French fcalp-
ing knife I had found, where the Choktah killed two of our traders.
When I got on the oppofite fhore, I renewed my draught, put my fire¬
arms in order, and fet up the war-whoop. I had often the like fcenes,
till I got to the Chikkafah country, which was alfo all afloat. The peo¬
ple had been faying, a little before I got home, that Ihould I chance to
be on the path, it would be near fifty days before I could pafs the neigh¬
bouring deep fwamps 5 for, on account of the lcvelnefs of the land, the
waters contiguous to the Chikkafah, are ufually in winter fo long in
emptying, before the fwamps become paffable. As I had the misfor¬
tune to lofe my tomohawk, and wet all the punk in my fhot-pouch by
fwimming the waters, I could not ftrike fire for the fpace of three days, and
it rained extremely hard, during that time. By being thoroughly wet fo
long, in the cold month of December, and nipped with the fro ft, feven
months elapfed before I had the proper ufe of the fingers of my right-
hand. On that long and dangerous war-path, 1 was expofed to many
dangers, and yet fo extricated myfelf, that it would appear like Quixotifm
to enumerate them.

I often repented of trufting to the governor’s promifes, and fo have
many others. The Cheerake, At tab Kullab Kullab, whofe name is the fuperla-
tive of a fkilful cutter of wood, called by us, “ The Little Carpenter,” had
equal honour with me of receiving from his Excellency a conflderable num¬
ber of letters, which he laid were not agreeable to the old beloved fpeech.
He kept them regularly piled in a bundle, according to the time he re¬
ceived them, and often Ihewed them to the traders, in order to expofe
xheir tine promifing contents. The firft, he ufcd to fay, contained a little

truth

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

3*7

truth, and he excufed the failure of the greater part of it, as he imagined
much bufinefs might have perplexed him, fo as to occafion him to forget
complying with his ftrong promife. “ But count, faid he, the lying black
marks of this one:” and he defcanted minutely on every circumftance of it.
His patience being exh.iufted, he added, “ they were an heap of black
broad papers* and ought to-be burnt in the old years fire.”

Near the Mufkohge country, on my way to the Chikkafah, I met my
old friends, Pa lab-Matabab, the- Chikkafah head war-chieftain, and Ming-
go-PuJhkott/h T the great Red-Shoes’ brother, journeying to Charles-town,
with one of the beaus of the Sphynx-company, to relate the lofs of the
molt part of that great cargo they fo unwifely carried at once, and to fo-
licit for a further fupply. Thofe traders, one excepted; were very indiF
creet, proud and ftubborn. They ltrove who -could out-drefs, or molt
vilify the other even before the Indians, who were furprifed, as they
never, heard the French to degrade one another, The haughty plan they
laid, againll the repeated perfuafions of the other, was the caufe of all their
Ioffes—they firft. loft the affedtion of- the free, and equally proud Choktah 5
for they fixed as an invariable rule, to keep them at a proper diftance, as
they termed it •,- whereas I, according to the frequent, fharp, upbraiding
language of the familiar favages to them, fat and fmoked with the head-men
on bear-lkins, fet the young people to their various diverfions,. and then-
viewed them with pleafure..

Notwithftanding the bad treatment T had received ; as I was apprehenfive
of the difficulties they would neceffarily be expofed to, on account of'
their ignorance and haughtinefs, I wrote to them, by a few Chikkafah-
warriors, truly informing them of the temper of the Indians, and the-
difficulties they would probably, be expofed to, from the policy of the
French at Tumbikpe ; aqd that though I had purpofed to fet off for-
South-Carolina, I would poftpone going fo foon, if they were of my opi¬
nion, that Mr. J. C—1 (who joined with me in the letter) and I could be
of any fervice to their mercantile affairs. They received our well-in¬
tended epiftle, and were fo polite as to order their black interpretrefs to-
bid our red couriers tell-us, they thanked us for our friendly offer, but’
did not ftand in need of our affiftance. They walked according to the weak
crooked rule they, had received below, and fared accordingly : for the dif—

328 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

obliged favages took molt part of the tempting cargo. At this time, the
French had only two towns and a half in their intereft, and they were fo wa¬
vering, that they could not rely on their friendlhip, much lefs on their abi¬
lity of relifting the combined power of the reft of the nation; and they
were on the very point of removing that ufeful and commanding garrifon
Tumbikpe, and fettling one on another eaftern-branch of the river,
called Potagahatche, in order to decoy many of the Choktah to fettle
there by degrees, and intercept the Englilh traders, on their way up from
our fettlements. This was as wife a plan as could poflibly have been con¬
certed, under the difficult cireumftances they laboured at that time.
But the unjuft and unwife meafures of the governor of South-Caro-
lina, in fending his favourite traders with a fcare-crow of bees-wax, to keep
off others who were more intelligent, gave the defponding French a fa¬
vourable opportunity to exert their powers, and regain the loft affections
of a confiderable number of our red allies ; for none of our traders had now
any goods in the Choktah country, nor were likely foon to carry any there.

Mr. C- 1 , the trader I juft mentioned, was of a long ftanding among

the Chikkafah, and indefatigable in ferving his country, without regard¬
ing thofe dangers that would chill the blood of a great many others;
and he was perfect mailer of the Indian language. About a year after this
period, he went to Red Shoes’ town, and in a fummer’s night, when he
was chatting with our great Englilh friend along-fide of his Chikkafah
wife, a party of the corrupt favages, that had been fent by the French,
Ihot him through the fhoulder, and her dead on the fpot. Red Shoes af¬
terwards fared the fame fate, by one of his own country-men, for the fake
of a French reward, while he was efcorting the forefaid gallant trader, and
others, from the Chikkafah to his own country. He had the misfortune
to be taken very fick on the path, and to lye apart from the camp, accord¬
ing to their ufual cuftom: a Judas, tempted by the high reward of the
French for killing him, officioufly pretended to take great care of him.
While Red Shoes kept his face toward him, the barbarian had fuch
feelings of awe and pity, that he had not power to perpetrate his
wicked defign; but when he turned his back, then he gave the fatal
Ihot. In a moment the wretch ran off, and though the whole camp
were out in an inftant, to a confiderable breadth, he evaded their
purfuit, by darting himfelf like a fnake, into a deep crevice of the

earth.

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 329

earth. The old trader, who was Ihot through the Ihoulder, going two
years after the death of this our brave red friend, unfortunately a quarter of
a mile into the woods, from the fpacious clearing of the Chikkafah coun¬
try, while all the men were on their winter hunt, and having only a to-
mohawk in his hand, the cowardly French Indians attacked him by furprile,
(hot him dead, and carried his fcalp to Tumbikpe-fort: another white
man unarmed, but out of the circle they had fuddenly formed, ran for
his fire-arms •, but he and the traders came too late to overtake the blood¬
hounds. In this manner, fell thofe two valuable brave men, by hands that
would have trembled to attack them on an equality.

The French having drawn off fome towns from the national confederacy,
and corrupted them, they began to (hew themfelves in their proper colours,
and publicly offered rewards for our fealps. Of this I was foon informed
by two Choktah runners, and in a few days time, I fent them back well
pleafed. I defired them to inform their head-men, that about the time
thofe days I had marked down to them, were elapfed, I would be in their
towns with a cargo, and difpofe of it in the way of the French, as they
were fo earneft in dealing the Englifli people. I charged them with a long
relation of every thing I thought might be conducive to the main point
in view, which was, the continuance of a fair open trade with a free
people, who by treaty were become allies of Great Britain; not fubjells ,
as our public records often wrongly term them—but people of one fire.
As only merit in war-exploits, and Bowing language and oratory, gives any
of them the lead preference above the red, they can form no other idea
of kings and fubjects than that of tyrants domineering over bafe flaves:
of courfe, their various dialefts have no names for fuch.

I left the Chikkafah, and arrived in the Choktah country before the ex¬
piration of the broken days, or time we had appointed, with a confiderable
cargo. By the intended monopoly of our great beloved man, in frighten¬
ing the Chikkafah traders, there were no Englifh goods in the nation, when
I went: and the neceffity of the times requiring a liberal didribution,
according to my former mefiage, that alone mud have fallen heavy upon
me under the public faith, without any additional expences. A day
before I got there, Minggo Pujbkoojb , the half-brother of Red Shoes, was
returned home from Charles-town, and by him I had the honour of re-
U u ceiving

3J0 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

ceiving a friendly and polite letter from the governor. His main aim, at
this fickened time of Indian trade, was to recover the value of the goods
that had been loft in the Choktah country. He recommended one of the
traders of the Sphynx-company to my patronage, prefling me to afliftr him
as far as I poflibly could, and like wife to endeavour toftorm Tumbikpe-fort-,
promifing at the fame time, to become anfwerable to me for all my rea-
fonable charges in that affair. I complied with every tittle of the gentle¬
man’s requeft, as far as I could, without charging him for it in the
leafr. As I- had then, the greateft part of my cargo on hand, I lent the
other what he flood in need of, that he might regain what his former
pride and folly had occafioned to be loft. At that time, powder and ball
were fo very fcarce, that I could have fold to the Choktah, as much as
would have produced fifteen hundred buck-Ikins, yet the exigency was fo
prefling, I gave them’the chief part of my ammunition, though as fpar-
ingly as I could—for the French by our purfuit of wrong meafures, (al¬
ready mentioned) and-their own policy, had dipped them into a civil war.
As I had then no call to facrifice my private intereft for the emolument
of the public, without indemnity, fo I was not willing to fufpeft ano¬
ther breach of public faith. Red Shoes’ brother came up freighted with
plenty of courtly promifes, and for his own fecurity he was not backward
in relating them to his brethren; otherwife, they would have killed both
him and me; which would have reconciled them to the French, who a
few days before, had propofed our maffacre by a long formal mefiage to
them, as they afterwards informed me. I plainly faw their minds were
unfixed, for their civil war proved very iharp. Minggo Pujhkoojh and feve-
ral head-men conduced me from town to town, to the crowd of the leven
lower towns, which lie next to New Orleans: but they took proper cate
to make our ftages Ihort enough, that I might have the honour to con-
verfe with all their beloved men and chief warriors, and have the favour
to give them plenty of prefents, in- return for fo great an obligation.
The Indian head-men deem-it a trifle to go hundreds of miles, on fuch a
gladfome errand j and very few of them are flow in honouring the traders
with a vifit, and a long, rapid, poetic fpeech. They will come feveral
miles to difpofe of a deer-fkin.

When I arrived at the thick fettlement of thefe lower towns, I began to
imagine they had opened a communication with their fubterranean brethren
of Nanne Yah i I was honoured with the company of a greater number

of

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 331

•of red chiefs of war, and old beloved men, than probably ever appeared
in imperial Rome. They in a very friendly manner, tied plenty of
bead-garters round my neck, arms, and legs, and decorated me, a la mode
America. I did myfelf the honour to fit them out with filver arm-plates,
gorgets, wrift-plates, ear-bobs, &c. &c. which they kindly received, and
protefted they would never part with them, for the fake of the giver. How¬
ever, by all my perfuafions, they would not undertake to florm Tumbikpe-
fort, though I offered to accompany them, and put them in a fure way
of carrying it. They told me I was mad, for the roaring of the cannon
was as dreadful as the lharpeft thunder, and that the French with one
of their great balls would tear me in pieces, as foon as I appeared in
view.

While they declined a French war, their own civil war became bitter
beyond expreffion. They frequently engaged, one party again ft the other,
in the open fields: when our friends had fired away all their ammunition,
they took to their hiccory-bows and barbed arrows, and rufhed on the
oppofite party, with their bare tomohawks, like the moft defperate ve¬
terans, regardlefs of life. They did not feem to regard dying fo much,
as the genteel appearance they made when they took the open field, on
purpofe to kill or be killed. They ufed to tell the Englifh traders they
were going on fuch a day to fight, or die for them, and earneftly impor¬
tuned them for a Stroud blanket, or white fhirt a-piece, that they might
make a genteel appearance in Englifh cloth, when they died. It was not
fafe to refufe them, their minds were fo diflrafted by the defperate fitua-
tion of their affairs; for as they were very fcarce of ammunition, the French
wifely headed their friend-party, with fmall cannon, battered down the
others flockaded-forts, and in the end reduced them to the neceffity of a
coalition. Thefe evils were occafioned merely by the avarice and niadnefs of
thofe I have filled the Sphynx-Company.

At this dangerous time, the fmall-pox alfo was by fome unknown means
conveyed into the Choktah country, from below : and it depopulated them
as much as the civil war had done. The Choktah who efcorted me into
the Chikkafah nation, were infedted with that malady in the woods, and
foon fpread it among others; thefe, a little time after, among the Mufkohge,
who were in company with me, on our way to Charles-town. I unluckily had

232 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

the honour to receive from the Governor, another polite letter, dated Sep¬
tember the 17th, anno 1749, citing me, under the great feal of the pro¬
vince, to come down with a party of Indians, as I had given his excel¬
lency notice of their defire of paying a friendly vifit to South Carolina.
And having purchafed and redeemed three French captives which the Chik-
kafah had taken in war, under their leader Pa-Tah-Matahah, I now be¬
llowed them on him, to enable him to make a flourilhing entrance into
Charles-town, after the manner of their American triumphs. He was
very kind to them, though their manners were as favage as his own : ex¬
cepting a few beads they ufed to count, with a fmall filver crofs fattened
to the top of them, they had nothing to diftinguilh them, and were
ignorant of every point of Chriftianity. I fet off with above twenty
warriors, and a few women, along with the aforefaid war-leader, for
Charles-town. As the French kept a watchful eye .on my conduit, and
the commanding officers of Tumbikpe garrifon in the Choktah, and the
Alebahma in the Mufkohge country kept a continual communication with
each other, the former equipped a party of their Choktah to retake the
French captives by force, if we did not previoufly deliver them to a
French party of the Mulkohge, who were fent by the latter as in the name
of the whole nation, though falfely, to terrify us into a compliance. We
had to pafs through the Mulkohge country in our way to the Britilh fet-
tlements ; and though the French were at a great diftance, yet they planned,
their fchemes with confummate wifdom : for the two companies met at the
time appointed, from two oppofite courfes of about a hundred, and
fifty miles apart, on the moll difficult pafs from Charles-town to the
Miffifippi, where the path ran through a fwamp of ten miles, be¬
tween high mountains; which were impalfable in any other place for
a great diftance, on either fide. Here, the Mulkohge left the Choktah-
company, and met us within half-a-day’s march of their advantageous
camping place. The foremoft of our party had almoft fired on thole
Mufkohge who were a-head of the reft ; but, as foon as they faw their
white emblems of peace, they forebore, and we joined company. As
foon as I heard them tell their errand, I fent out three warriors to recon¬
noitre the place, left we fhould unawares be furrounded by another party
of them •, but there was no ambufeade. The Mulkohge leader was called
by the traders, “ the Lieutenant,” and had been a fteady friend to their
intereft, till by our ufual mifmanagement in Indian affairs, he became

entirely.

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 333

entirely devoted to the French •, his behaviour was confident,, and his ad-
drefs artful.

The red ambaflador fpoke much of the kindly difpofition of the French
to fuch of his countrymen as were poor, and of their generous proteflion
to the whole ; contrafted with the ambitious views of the Englifh, who were
not content with their deer-fkins and beaver, but coveted their lands. He
faid, “ the Mufkohge were forry and furprifed that their old friends the-
Chikkafah, in concert with a mad Englifhman, fhould feduce their warriors
to join with them to fpill the blood of their French beloved friends, when
they were by national confent, only to revenge crying blood againft
the Aquahpah; and that the former would be afhamed to allow the latter
to carry thofe captives, who were their friends, through their nation to
Charles-town. But, faid he, as the Mufkohge are defirous always to (hake
hands with the Chikkafah, the head-men have fent me in their name, «•
requeft you Pa-Yab-Matabab and other beloved warriors, to deliver to me
thofe unfortunate prifoners, as a full proof you are defirous of tying faft the
old friend-knot, Which you have loofed in fome meafure.” In this manner,,
the red ambaffador of the dangerous Alebahma French captain flourifhed
away and waited for a favourable anfwer, according to the confident hopes
his employer had taught him to entertain,, by the ftrong motive of felf-
intereft.

But though the daring Chikkafah leader, and each of us, according to'
cuftom were filent, during the recital of the difagreeable harangue, only by
ftern-fpeaking countenances, Pa-Yab-Matabab replied, “ O you Mufkohge
corrupted chieftain, who are degenerated fo low as to become a ftrong-
mouthed friend of the French, whofe tongues are known of a long time,,
to be forked like thofe of the dangerous fnakes ; your fpeech has run
through my ears, like the noife of a threatening high wind, which attacks
the traveller as foon as he climbs to the top of a rugged fteep mountain:
though as he came along, the air was fcarcely favourable enough for him
to breathe in. You fpeak highly in praife of the French; and fo do the
bafer fort of the Choktah, becaufe every year they receive preftnts to make
their lying mouths ftrong. That empty founding kettle, fattened at
the top of your bundle along fide of you, I know to be French, and a.
true pifture both of their meflages, and methods of fending them. The

334 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

other things it contains, I guefs, are of the fame forked-tongued family-,
for if your fpeech had come from your own heart, it muft have been
ftraighter. What can be more crooked than it now is ? Though I have no
occafion to make any reply to your unjuft complaints againft the Engliih
people, as their chieftain, my friend, has his ears open, and can eafily con¬
fute all you faid againft his people and himfelf; yet to prevent any need-
lefs delay on our day’s march, I (hall give as full an anfwer to your fpeech,
as the fhort time we can ftay here will allow. Since the time the Engliih
firft lhaked hands with you, have not they always held you faft by the arm,
clofe to their heart, contrary to the good liking of your favourite French f
And had they not helped you with a conftant fupply of every thing you
flood in need of, in what manner could you have lived at home ? Befides,
how could you have fecured your land from being fpoiled by the many
friendly red people of the French, ifluing from the cold north ? Only for
their brotherly help, the artful and covetous French, by the weight of pre-
fents and the (kill of their forked tongues, would before now, have fet you
to war againft each other, in the very fame manner they have done by the
Choktah -, and when by long and lharp ftruggles, you had greatly weakened
yourlelves, they by the afliftance of their northern red friends, would have
ferved you in the very fame manner, their lying mouths, from their own guilty
hearts, have taught you fo unjuftly and lhamefully to repeat of the Engliih.
You have openly acknowledged your bafe ingratitude to your belt and old
fteady friends, who, I believe, could damage you as much as they have be¬
friended you, if you provoke them to it. Allowing the fpeech you have ut¬
tered with your mouth to be true, that you are fent by all the red chieftains
•of your Mulkohge people, were your hearts fo weak as to imagine it could
any way frighten the Chikkafah ? Ye well know, the ugly yellow French
have proved moft bitter enemies to us, ever fince we difappointed them
in their fpiteful defign of inllaving aud murdering our poor, defencelefs,
and inoffenfive red brethren, the Nahchee, on the banks of the Melhef-
heepe water-path. Ye may love them, if it feems good to your hearts;
your example that way Ihall have no weight with us. We are born and
bred in a ftate of war with them: and though we have loft the greater
part of our people, chiefly through the mean fpirit of their red hirelings,
who were continually Healing our people for the fake of a reward; yet they
feelingly know we beat them, and their employers, in every public engage¬
ment. We are the fame people, and we ftiall certainly live and die, in
i filch

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 3^.5;

fcch a manner as not to fully the ancient character of our warlike fore-fathers.
As the French conftantly employed their red people in afts of enmity
againft our Englilh traders, as well as us,—my beloved friend. Handing there
before you, complained of it to the Goweno-Minggo in Charles-town, (the
Governor of South-Carolina) and he gave him Hoolbo Hoorefo Parajka
Qrehtoopa , (their method of exprdfing our provincial feal, for hoolbo fignifies
a pidture, hoorefo marked, or painted, parafka made bread of, and oretcopa
beloved, or of high note or power,) I and my warriors gladly disked hands
with his fpeech ; and fo did thofe of your own country, who allured
us, they always fcorned to be fervants to the crafty lying French. At.
their own defire, our old beloved men crowned them warriors, in
the moll public and folemn manner. They were free either to Ihut
or open their ears to the Englilh beloved fpeech. And why Ihould
we not be as free to go to war againft our old enemies, as you are againft
yours ? We are your friends by treaty ; but we fcorn a mean compliance
to any demand, that would call adifgrace on our national charafter. You
have no right to demand of me thofe ugly French prifoners. We
took them in war, at the rifque of blood : and at home in our national
council, we firmly agreed not to part with any of them, in a tame man¬
ner, till we got to Charles-town. If the Mulkohge are as defirous as we,
to continue to hold each other firmly by the hand, we lhall never loofe
the friend-knot: we believe fuch a tie is equally profitable to each- of.
us, and hope to continue it, to the lateft times.”

When the French ambaffador found he mull fail in his chief aim, he
with a very fubmiflive tone, requefted the Chikkafah war-leader to give
him a token, whereby he might get the other captives who were left
at home : but as they ufually deny with modefty, he told him, he could not
advife him to take the trouble to go there, as he believed the head-men had
kept them behind on purpofe that they fhould be burnt at the (take, if any
mifchance befell him and his warriors, before they returned home, on ac¬
count of his French prifoners. Finding that his threats and entreaties both
proved ineffeflual, he was obliged to acquielce. Soon after, we fet off, and
he and his chagrined mercenaries quietly took up their, travelling bundles,
and followed us.

On that dayls march, a little before we entered the long fwamp,
all our Chikkafah friends llaid behind, killing and cutting up buf¬
falo -

336 An Account of the Chektah Nation.

falo : By this means, I was a confiderable way before the pack-horfes,
when we entered into that winding and difficult pafs, which was a
continued thicket. After riding about a mile, I difcovered the frefh
tracks of three Indians. I went back, put the white people on their
guard, gave my horfe and fword to a corpulent member of the Sphynx-
company, and fet off a-head, fhunning the path in fuch places where the
favages were moft likely to poll themfelves. Now and then I put up the
whoop on different fides of the- path, both to feGure myfelf and intimi¬
date the oppofite fcout-party; otherwife, I might have paid dear for it, as
I faw from a rifing point, the canes where they were paffing, to (hake.
I became more cautious, and they more fearful of being inclofed by our
party. They ran off to their camp, and fpeedily from thence up the craggy
rocks, as their tracks teftificd. Their lurking place was as artfully chpfen,
as a w6lf could have fixed on his den. When our friendly Indians came to our
camp, it was too late to give chafe: they only viewed their tracks. At
night, the Chikkafah war-leader gave out a very enlivening war fpeech,
well adapted to the circumffances of time and place, and each of us
lay in the woodland-form of a war-camp. As we were on our guard,
the enemy did not think it confiftent with their fafety to attack us
— ambufcading is their favourite plan of operation. The next day
by agreement, the Indians led the van, and I brought up the rear with
the French prifoners. A fhort way from our camp, there were fteep
rocks, very difficult for loaded horfes to rear and afcend. Moft of them
had the good fortune to get fafe up, but feme which I efcorted, tum¬
bled backwards ; this detained us fo long, that the van gained near three
miles upon us. I polled myfelf on the top of one of the rocks, as a
centinel to prevent our being furprifed by the Choktah, and difcovered them
crawling on the ground behind trees, a confiderable way ofF, on the fide of
a fteep mountain, oppofite to us. I immediately put up the war whoop,
and told a young man with me the occafion of it •, but he being
fatigued and vexed with his fharp exercife, on account of the horfes,
only curfed them, and faid, we were warriors, and would fight them,
if they durft come near enough. As I was cool, I helped and haf-
tened him off: in-the mean while, I cautioned the captives againft at¬
tempting to fly to the enemy in cafe they attacked us, as their lives
fhould certainly pay for it—and they promifed they would not. We at
laft fet off, and met with no interruption : the enemy having a fharp
1 dread

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

337

dread of our party ahead, who would have foon ran back to our affiftance,
had they attacked us—About an hour after our company, we got to camp.
The Choktah at night came down from the mountains, and creeped after us.
Our camp was pitched on very convenient ground, and as they could not
furprife us, they only viewed at a proper diftance, and retired. But they
ufed an artful ftratagem, to draw fome of us into their treacherous fnares;
for they ftole one of the bell horfes, and led it away to a place near
their den, which was about a mile below us, in a thicket of reeds, where
the creek formed a femi-circle. This horfe was a favourite with the gallant
and aftive young man I had efcorted the day before to camp.

As he was of a chearful and happy temper, the people were much furprifed
to find him at night peevilh and querulous, contrary to every part of his
paft conduft; and though he delighted in arms, and carried them con-
ftantly when he went from camp, yet he went out without any this night,
though I prefied him to take them. In lefs than an hour, he returned
fafe, but confufed and dejected. When he fat down, he drooped his
head on his hands, which were placed on his knees, and faid, the enemy
were lurking, and that we fhould foon be attacked, and fome of us killed.
As I pitied the ftate of his. mind, I only told him, that yefterday, he
and I knew the French favages were watching to take an advantage of us j
but for his fatisfaflion I would take a fweep, on foot, while the Chik-
kafah painted themfelves, according to their war-cuftom when they ex-
pedt to engage an enemy. I went out with my gun, pouch, and belt-
piftols, and within two-hundred yards of the camp, difcovered the ene¬
mies tracks; they had palled over a boggy place of the creek, upon an
old hurricane-tree. I proceeded with the utmoft caution, polling myfelf
now and then behind large trees, and looking out lharply left I Ihould fall
into an ambufcade, which the Choktah are cunning artifts in forming.
In this manner I marched for three quarters of an hour, and then took to
high ground, a little above the enemies camp, in order to return for help to
attack them. But the aforefaid brave youth, led on by his ill genius, at this
time mounted a fiery horfe, which foon ran into the ambufcade, where they
fliot him with a bullet in his bread, and another entered a little below the heart.
The horfe wheeled round in an inftant, and fprungoff, but in pitching over
a large fallen tree, the unfortunate rider, by reafon of his mortal wounds,
X x fell

338 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

fell off, a viflim to the barbarians. One of them foon flruck a tomohawk
into his head, juft between his eyes, and jerked off a piece of fcalp
about the bignefs of a dollar—they took alio his Indian breeches, and
an handkerchief he had on his head, and immediately flew through
a thicket of briars, to fecure their retreat. When they fired their two
guns, I immediately gave the thrill war-whoop, which was refounded by one
of the Chikkafah that had been out a hunting from the camp. They in-
ftantly fet off full fpeed, naked, except their Indian breeches and macca-
fenes. I put myfelf in the fame flying trim, on the enemies firing we
foon came to the tragical fpot, but without flopping, we took their
tracks, gave chafe, and continued it a great way : unluckily, as we were
running down a fteep hill, they difcovered us from the top of ano¬
ther, and foon difperfed tbemfelves; by which means, not being able
to difcover one track of thofe foxes on the hard hilly ground, we were
obliged to give over the chace, and returned to camp. We buried our friend,
by fixing in a regular manner a large pile of great logs for the corpfe, with
big tough fapplings bent over it, and on each fide, thruft deep into the
ground, to fecure it from the wild beafts. Though the whole camp at
firft imagined the enemy had killed me and captivated the other, yet the
warriors did not fhew the leaft emotion of gladn fs, nor even my favourite
friend, the war-leader, when they firft faw me fafe : but the women received
me with tears of joy. I mention this to fhew the force of education and
habit—thofe who are ufed to fcenes of war and blood, become obdurate and
are loft to all the tender feelings of nature ; while they, whofe employment it
is to mourn for their dead, are fufceptible of the tender impreflions they
were originally endued with by Deity.

As the French frequently had been great fufferers by the Chikkafah,
ever fince the year 1730, neceflity obliged them to bear their Ioffes with
patience, till they could get them revenged by the friendly hands of their
red mercenaries. As foon as they had ingratiated themfelves into the af-
fedtions of all thofe Indians who were incorporated among the Mufkohge,
and had fettled them near the Alebahma-garrifon; and other towns, be-
fides head-men, in fundry parts of the nation, being devoted to their fervice,
they imagined they had now intereft enough to get feveral of thofe warriors
killed, who had joined the Chikkafah againft their people over the Miffi-
fippi. But the old head-men of the Mufkohge convened together,

and

An Account of the Choktah Nation.

339

and agreed to fend a peremptory melfage to the French, ordering them,
forthwith, to defift from their bloody politics, otherwife the river Ihould
carry their blood down to Mobille, and tell that garrifon, their own
treachery was the foie occafion of it, by mifchievoudy endeavouring to
foment a civil war between them, as they boafted they had done among
the foolifh Choktah. With much regret they laid afide their fcheme, and
were forced openly to wipe away the memory of every thing which had
before given them offence •, and to include all indiscriminately in the
treaty of friendlhip, as all had only one fire. This proved a mortifying
ftroke to the French on fundry accounts : and' during the continuance of
this diftrafted fcene, if any Britilh governor of capacity and public fpirit,
had properly exerted himfclf, they mull have withdrawn to Mobille,
without any poffibility of ever returning. For the enmity would foon
have advanced to a molt implacable hatred, as in the cafe of the Chik-
kafah and French : but fuch a conduft was incompatible with the private
views of fome among us.

As the fmall-pox broke out in our camp, when we got nigh to the Muf-
kohge country, and detained the Indians there till they recovered, I fet off
without them for Charles-town. By the benefit of the air, and their drink¬
ing a ftrong decodtion of hot roots, they all recovered. A Choktah warrior of
Yahfhoo-town, humoroufly told me afterwards, that ookka boomeh, “ the
bitter waters,” meaning fpirituous liquors, cured fome people, while
it killed orhers. He, by the advice of one of the Englilh traders, ad-
miniftered it in pretty good dofes to feven of his children in the fmall-
pox, which kept out the corrupt humour, and in a fhort time perfeftly cured
each of them, he faid, without the leaft appearance of any dangerous
fymptoms; whereas the dilbrder proved very mortal to the young
people in the neighbourhood, who purfued a different courfe of phy-
fic. As molt of the Indian traders are devotees of Bacchus, their mate-
-ria medica confifts of fpirituous liquors, compounded with ftrong herbs
and roots, of which they commonly have a good knowledge: and I hav?-
obferved thofe who have left off the trade, and refide in the Britilh fettle-
ments, to give their negroes for an anti-venereal, a large dofe of old Ja¬
maica and qualified mercury mixt together,—which, they fay, the blacks
.cheerfully drink, without making a wry face, contrary to their ufage

340 An Account of the Choktah Nation,

with every other kind of phyfic ■, and it is affirmed, that by this prefcrip-
tion, they foon get well.

The fmall pox with which the upper towns of the Mulkohge were in-
fefted, was of the confluent fort, and it would have greatly depopulated
them, if the officious advice of fome among us, for all the other towns to cut
off every kind of communication with them, on the penalty of death to any
delinquent, had not been given and purl'ued. They accordingly polled cen-
tinels at proper places, with ftrift orders to kill fuch, as the moll dangerous
of all enemies : and thefe cautious meafures produced the defired effefc. And
by the mean mediation of feveral of our principal traders, joined with the in
tereft of their red friends, the commandant of the Alebahma fort, prevailed
at lad on the Chikkafah chieftain to take the three French prifoners to him,
as he would pay him to his own fatisfadlion, give him prefents, and drink
with him as a friend, who had buried the bloody tomohawk deep in the
ground. They were delivered up -, and by that means the French were
enabled to difeourage thofe Mulkohge warriors, who had joined the Chik¬
kafah in the aforefaid afts of hoftility againft the Millifippi inhabitants.
In about the fpace of three months from the time the Chikkafah left their
own country with me, they arrived at the late New-Windfor garrifon, the
weftern barrier of South-Carolina, and beautifully fltuated on a high com¬
manding bank of the pleafant meandering Savanah river; fo termed on
account of the Shawano Indians having formerly lived there, till by our
foolifh meafures, they were forced to withdraw northward i'o defence of
their freedom.

At the requeft of the governor and council I rode there, to accom¬
pany our Chikkafah friends to Charles-town, where, I believe, on my
account, they met with a very cold reception: for as fomething I
wrote to the two gentlemen who fitted out, and fuftained the lofs of
the Sphynx-company, had been inferted in the “ modeft reply to his Excel¬
lency the Governor,” formerly mentioned, in order to obtain bills of ex¬
change on Great Britain, I was now become the great objedl of his
difpleafure, and of a certain fett, who are known to patronife any
perfons if they chance to be born in the fame corner of the world with
themfelves. The Chikkafah had a very ungracious audience : On accounc

of

An Account of the Choktah Nation . 341

of the exceffive modefty of this warlike people, their chieftain gave out a
Ihort oration, without hinting in the mod diftant manner, at any difficul¬
ties they underwent, by reafon of their ftrong attachment to the Britilh
Americans,—concluding, that as the Englilh beloved men were endowed
with a furprifing gift of expreffing a great deal in few words, long fpeeches
would be troublefome to them. He intended to have fpoken afterwards of
the Choktah affairs, and that I was a great fufferer by them, without any
juft retribution, and accordingly was very defirous of a fecond public in¬
terview j but our cunning beloved man artfully declined it, though they
ftaid as late as the middle of April. It was a cuftom with the colony of
South-Carolina towards thofe Indians who came on a friendly vifit, to allow
them now and then a tolerable quantity of fpirituous liquors, to cheer
their hearts, after their long journey 5 but, if I am not miftaken, thofe I
accompanied, had not a drop, except at my coft. And when the Governor
gave them, at the entrance of the council-chamber, fome trifling prefents,
he hurried them off with fuch an air as vexed them to the heart; which
was aggravated by his earneftly pointing at a noted war-leader, and
myfelf, with an angry countenance, fwearing that Indian had been lately
down from Savanah, and received prefents. They had fo much fpirit that
they would noton any account have accepted his prefents, but for my perfua-
fions. As for myfelf, I could not forbear faying, honour compelled me as fo-
lemnly to declare that his alfertion was not true, and that I had often given
more to the Choktah at one time, than he had ever given to the
Chikkafah, in order to rivet their enmity againft the French of Louiflana,
and thereby open a lading trade with them, from which I was unfairly
excluded, on account of a friendly monopoly, granted by him for a certain
end to mere ffrangers. My words feemed to lie pretty lharp upon him, and
I fuppofe contributed not a little to the uncourtly leave he took of
our gallant, and faithful old friends. Soon after, at the requeft of the
Governor and council however, I accompanied them the firft day’s march,
on their way home from Charles-town : they had no public order of credit
for their needful travelling charges, though I follicited his Excellency and
the council to grant them one, according to the ancient, hofpitable, and
wife cuftom of South-Carolina, to all Indians who paid them a friendly vifit,
whofe journey was far Ihorter, were often uninvited, and of much lefs
fervice, than the Chikkafah to the Britilh intereft. As their horfes were

very

342 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

very poor, I told the Governor they could travel only at a flow pace, and
as the wild game was fcarce in our fettlements, hunger, and refent-
tnent for their unkind ufage,-would ptobablytempt them to kill the planters
ftock, which might produce bad .confequences, and ought to be cau-
tioufly guarded againft; but I was an unfortunate folicitor.

Wirh a flow of contrary paflions I took my leave of our gallant Chikkafah
friends. I viewed them with a tender eye, and revolved in my mind the
fatigues, difficulties, and dangers, they had cheerfully undergone, to teftify
the intenfe affection they bore to the Britifh Americans,—with the ill treat¬
ment they had received from our chief magiftrace, on account of his own dis¬
appointments, and fharp-felt cenfures, for fome fuppofed mifmanagement,
or illicit meafures in trade. He is reported to have been no way churlifh to
feveral of the daftardly Choktah, notwithftanding his unprecedented and
unkind treatment of our warlike Chikkafah—two hundred of which would
attack five hundred of the others, and defeat them with little lofs. Their
martial bravely has often teftified this againft enemies even of a greater
fpirit.

Not long after the Chikkafah returned homeward, I advertifed in the
weekly paper, that as I intended to leave Charles-town in a fhort time,! was
ready and willing to anfwer any of the legiflative body fuch queftions
as they might be pleafed to propofe to me concerning our Indian affairs,
before the expiration of fuch a time •, and that if his Excellency defired
my attendance, and either notified it in writing, or by a proper officer,
! might be found at my -old lodgings. On the evening of the very laft
day 1 had propofed to ftay, he fent me a peremptory written order to at¬
tend that night, on public bufinefs, concerning Indian affairs; I punftually
obeyed, with refpedt to both time and place. He was now in a dilemma,
by reafon of his (fuppofed) felf-interefted conduft concerning the Chok¬
tah trade, which occafioned the aforefaid msdejl reply , that arraigned his
proceedings with feverity and plainnefs. As I came down with the Indians,
and was detained by his Excellency, under the great feal of the pro¬
vince, till this period, April 1750, l had juft reafon to expeft that good
faith would have been kept with me—that I fhould have been paid ac¬
cording to promife, at leaft for all the goods I gave the Indians, by vir¬
tue thereof; and have had a juft compenfation for the great expences I

An Accaunt of the Choktah Nation.

343

was at in ferving the goremmeht but except the the trifling fura of four
pounds fterling, when I was letting off for the Indian country, I never
received one farthing of the public money, for my very expenftve, faithful,
and difficult fervices.

In moft of our American colonies, there yet remain a few of the natives,
who formerly inhabited thofe extenfive countries: and as they were
friendly to us, and ferviceable to our interefts, the wifdom and virtue of
our legiflature fecured them from being injured by the neighbouring nations.
The French ftriftly purlued the fame method, deeming fuch to be more
ufeful than any others on alarming occafions. We called them “ Parched-
eorn-Indians,” becaufe they chiefly ufe it for bread, are civilized, and live
moftly by planting. As they had no connexion with the Indian nations,
and were defirous of living peaceable under the Britifh proteflion, none
could have any juft plea to kill or inflavc them. But the grafping plan
of the French required thofe dangerous fcout-partics, as they termed them,
to be removed out of the way ; and the dormant conduft of the South-
Carolina chief, gave them an opportunity to effeft that part of their de-
fign; though timely notice, even years before, had been given by the Chee-
rake traders, that the French prieffs were poifoning the minds of thofe
Indians againft us, who live among the Apalahche mountains, and were
endeavouring to reconcile them to all the various nations of the Miflifippi
and Canada favages; and that there was the greater! probability they
would accomplifh their dangerous plan, unlefs we foon took proper
meafures to prevent it. The informers had ill names and refentment
for their news, and the affembly was charged with mifpending their time, in
taking notice of the wild incoherent reports of illiterate obfcure perfons.
But it afterwards appeared, that according to their teftimony, the intereft and
l'ecurity of South-Carolina were in great danger. By the diligence of the
French, their Indians entered into a treaty of friendfliip with the Cheerake :
and their country became the rendezvous of the red pupils of the black
Jefuits. Hence they ravaged South-Carolina, beginning at the fron¬
tier weak fettlements, and gradually advanced through the country, for
the fpacc of eight years, deftroying the live flock, infulting, frightening,
wounding, and fometimes killing the inhabitants, burning their houfes, car¬
rying away their flaves, and committing every kind of devaftation, till they
proceeded fo low as within thirty miles of Charles-town. The fufferers often
exhibited their complaints, in the moft pathetic and public manner; and
5 the

34+ An Account of the Choktah Nation.

the whole country felt the ill effefts of the late over-bearing and negligent
conduft. Falfe colouring could ferve no longer, and a few inconfiderable
parties were fent out—but not finding any enemy, they were in a few months
dilbanded, and peaceable accounts were again fent home.

Our Settlement-Indians were at this time clofely hunted, many were killed,
and others carried off. A worthy gentleman, G. H. Efq-, who lived at the
Conggarees, fuffered much on the occafion—he was employed to go to the
Cheerake country, in quell of valuable minerals, in company with an Indian
commiflioner :—in one of their middle towns, he retook fome of our Settle¬
ment-Indians from the Canada-favages, whom a little before they had capti¬
vated and carried off from South-Carolina in triumph. While they were beat¬
ing the drum, finging, dancing, and pouring the utrnotl contempt on the
Englilh name, honour prompted him to prefer the public credit to his own
fafety. By the earned mediation of one of the traders, the head-men of
the town confented to be neutral in the affair, and aft as impartial friends
to both parties. He then, with Col. F—x, and fome of the traders, went
in a warlike gallant manner, and regardlefs of the favages threats, took
and brought to a trader’s houfe, our captivated friends:—they Hood all night
on their arms, and at a convenient interval, fupplied thofe whom they had
liberated, with neceffaries to carry them to our fettlements, where their
trufty heels foon carried them fafe. The gallant behaviour of thofe
gentlemen gained the applaufe of the Cheerake—and each foon returned
in fafety, without any interruption, to their refpeftive homes, where I
wilh they had ever after continued. But Mr. G. H. having confiderably
engaged himfelf in trade with the Katahba Indians, fet off afterwards in com¬
pany with an half-bred Indian of that nation, the favourite fon of Ma T. B.
a' famous old trader : in their way to the Katahba, they were intercepted,
and taken by fome of the very favages who had threatened him among the
Cheerake, when he releafed our domeftic Indians. The government of
South-Carolina was foon informed of the unhappy affair: and they dif-
patched a friendly embaffy to the lower towns of the Cheerake, requefling
them to intercept and retake the prifoners, if they paffed near their coun¬
try, and offered a confiderable reward. Our friends were carried a
little to the northward of the Cheerake nation, where their captors camped
feveral days, and the Cheerake held with them an open friendly intercourfe,
as in defpite to the Englilh. The head men of the lower towns, not only
flopped the traders and their red friends from going to refeue them,
5 but

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 345

but likewife threatened them for their generous intention. The favages,
inftead of keeping a due northern courfe homeward, took a large com-
pafs north-weft, by the fide of the Cheerake mountains, being afraid
of a purfuit from the Katahba Indians. They marched faft with their two
captives, to fecure their retreat till they got within the bounds of the French
treaty of peace, and then fteered a due northern courfe, continuing it
till they got nigh to their refpeftive countries, where they parted in two
bodies, and each took one of the priToners with them. But as travelling
fo great a way in the heat of fummer, was what Mr. G. H. was unaccul-
tomed to, he was fo much overcome by fatigue and ficknefs, that for feve-
ral days before, he could not poffibly walk. He then requefted them to
put him out of his mifery, but they would not; for they reckoned his civil
language to them proceeded from bodily pains, and from a martial
fpirit, which they regard. They confented to carry him on a bier, which
they did both with care and tendernefs. But on parting with his compa¬
nion, he refufed abfolutely to proceed any farther with them, when they
tomohawked him, juft as his parted friend was out of the hearing of
it. The laft afterwards got home, and told us this melancholy exit of
our worthy and much-lamented friend—who died as he lived, always de-
fpifing life, when it was to be preferved only in a ftate of flavery. Though
he was thus loft to his family and the community, by a manly performance
of the duties of his office, in which he engaged by the preffing entreaties
of the Governor, yet his widow was treated ungeneroufly and bafely, as
was Capt. J. P. at the Conggarees.—But there would be no end, if we
were to enter into particulars of court policy, and government honor and
gratitude.

If our watch-men had not been quite remifs, they would have at leaft
oppofed the French emiflaries on their firft approach to our colonies,
and have protefted our valuable civilized Indians; for our negroes were
afraid to run away, left they ffiould fall into their hands. The fcheming
French knew of what importance they were to us, and therefore they em¬
ployed their red friends to extirpate them. And while thofe remote fa¬
vages of Miffifippi and Canada were pretending to feek the revenge of
fome old grievance, they wounded us at the fame time in two very ma¬
terial points,—in getting a thorough knowledge of the fituation of our
moft valuable, but weak fouthern colonies, and thus could ftrike us the
Y y deeper.

2^6 An Account of the Choktah Nation .

deeper,—and in deftroying fuch of our inhabitants, as were likely to prove
the greateft check to their intended future depredations. By our own mif-
conduft, we twice loft the Shawano Indians ; who have fince proved very hurt¬
ful to our colonies in general. When the French employed them to weaken
South-Carolina, a fmall company of them were furrounded and taken in a
remote houfe of the lower fettlements: and though they ought to have
been inftantly put to death, in return for their frequent barbarities to our
people, yet they were conveyed to prifon, confined a confiderable time, and
then difeharged, to the great lofs of many innocent lives. For as the In¬
dians reckon imprifonment to be inflaving them, they never forgive fuch
treatment •, and as foon as thefe got clear, they left bloody traces of their
vindiflive tempers, as they paffed along. About this time, a large com¬
pany of French favages came from the head-ftreams of Monongahela-river
to the Cheerake, and from thence were guided by one of them to where our
fettlement-Indians refided. They went to a fmall town of the Euibcbee,
about twelve miles below Savanah-town, and two below Silver-bluff, where
G. G. Efq-, lives, and there watched like wolves, till by the mens making
a day’s hunt, they found an opportunity to kill the women and children.
Immediately after which, they fcouted off different ways, fome through
Savanah-river, which is about 200 yards broad ; and others to the hunting
place, both for their own fecurity, and to give the alarm r We had on this
occafion, a ftriking inftance of the tender affe&ion of the Indian women to
their children, for all thofe who efcaped, carried off their little ones. The
men, by the alarming lignal of the fhrill-founding war-cry, foon joined,
ran home, and without flaying to view the bloody tragedy, inftantly took,
the enemies tracks, and eagerly gave chafe. To avoid the dreaded purfuit,
the Cheerake guide led the French mercenaries a northern epurfe, as far as
the thick woods extended, which was about fifteen miles from the place
of their murders. From thence they fhifted toward the north-weft, and
were ftretching away about 10 miles to the north of Augufta, for Ninety-
Six, which lay in a diredt line to the lower towns of the Cheerake •, when un¬
luckily for them, juft as they were entering into the open, and long-continued
pine-barren, they were difeovered by one of our hunting white men, who was
mounted on an excellent white horfe, and therefore a fine mark to be fhot,
which they would havedone for their own fecurity, only he outftripped them,
and kept in their back-tracks, to trace them to their theatre of blood—
their pofture and countenances plainly told him what they had done, on
L fome

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 347

fome of our barriers. He had not proceeded far, when he met the enraged
Euhchee, on the hot purfuit. He told them their courfe, and that their
number was twenty-fix. In running about twelve miles farther, they came
in fight of the objects of their hatred and rage: prefently, they ran on
each fide of them, engaged them clofely, and killed feveral. Thofe who
efcaped, were forced to throw away nine guns, (they had taken from fome
of our people) and almoft every thing, even their light breeches, to fave their
lives. They were fo exceedingly terrified, left the enraged purfuers fhould
continue the chafe, that they pafled wide of our then weak fettlement of
Ninety-Six, and kept on day and night, till they got near to their con-
-duftor’s mountainous country. This was in the beginning of May 1750:
and in our Indian-trading way, we fay that, when the heat of the new year
enables the fnakes to crawl out of their lurking holes, the favagcs are
equally moved to turn out to do mifchief. Many have experimentally felt
the truth of this remark.

I had at this time occafion to go to the Cheerake country -, and
happened to have a brave chearful companion, Mr. H. F. of Ninety-
Six fettlement. We had taken a hearty draught of punch, about ten
miles from Keeohwhee-town, oppofite to which the late Fort-Prince-George
flood, and were proceeding along, when we difcovered the frefh tracks of
Indians in the path, who were gone a-head. As we could not reafonably
have the leaft fufpicion of their being enemies, we rode quite carelefly 5
but they proved to be the above-mentioned Monongahela-Indians. Their
watchfulnefs, and our finging, with the noife of our horfes feet, made
them hear us before they could polfibly fee us,—when they fuddenly polled
themfelves off the path, behind fome trees, juft in the valley of Six-mile-
creek, in order to revenge their lofs by the Euhchee, which they afcribed
to the information of the white man. But their Cheerake guide prevented
them from attempting it, by telling them, that as his country was not at
war with us, his life muft pay for it, if they chanced to kill either of us i
and as we were frefh and well-armed, they might be fure we would fight
them fo fuccefsfully, as at leaft one of us fhould efcape and alarm thor
towns: with this caution they forbore the hazardous attempt. They fquat-
ted, and kept clofe therefore, fo as we did not fee one of them; and we
fufpefted no danger. By the difcontinuance of their tracks, we foon
knew we had paffed them ; but, juft when we had hidden two. cags of

y y 2 rum

348 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

rum, about two miles from the town, four of them appeared, unarmed,
ftark naked, and torn by the thickets. When we dilcovered them, we
concluded they had been below on mifchief. If we had not been fo nigh
the town, my companion would have fired at them. We went into the
town, and the traders there foon informed us of their cowardly defign.

We went as far as the mid-fettlements, and found molt of the towns
much difaffefted to us, and in a flu&uating fituation, through the artifice
of the French. In a few days we returned, but found they had blocked
up all the trading paths, to prevent our traders from making their efcape.
Juft as we defcended a fmall mountain, and were about to afcend a very
fteep one, a hundred yards before us, which was the firft of the Apalahche,
or blue ridge of mountains, a large company of the lower town Indians
ftarted out from the Hoping rocks, on the north fide of the path, a lit¬
tle behind us. As they were naked except their breech-cloth, were
painted red and black, and accoutered every way like enemies, I bid my
Companion leave the luggage-horfes and follow me : but as he left his arms
at the lower town, and was not accuftomed to fuch furprifes, it lhocked
him, till they ran down upon him. On this I turned back, and flood on
my arms, expefting they would have fired upon us. However, they
propofed fome queftions, which I anfwered, as to where we had been,
and were going, and that we were not any of their traders. Had it been
otherwise, the difpute would have been dangerous. We got over the
mountain, and fafe to Tymahfe ; here we reftcd two nights, and found
the people diftrafted for mifchief, to which the many caufes before
mentioned prompted them. The governor, in lefs than a month after
this period, had the ftrongeft confirmation of the ill intention of thele
favages and their allies. Many exprefles with intelligence I fent, but the
news was pocketed, and my fervices traduced—becaufe I would not aflift the
prime magiftrate in a bad caufe, he and his humble fervants depreciated
the long feries of public fervices I had faithfully performed, and called
them mere accidental trifles contrary to his former acknowledgments, both
verbal and in writing. The French, however, had a different opinion of
my fervices •, they were fo well acquainted with the great damages I had
done to them, and feared others I might occafion, as to confine me a
clofe prifoner for a fortnight when I went to the Alebahma-garrifon, in
5 the

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 349

the Mulkohge country. They were fully refolved to have fent me down to
Mobille or New Orleans, as a capital criminal, to be hanged for having
abetted the Mulkohge, Chikkafah, and Choktah, to (hed a torrent of their
chrillian blood •, though I had only retaliated upon them, the long train of
blood they had years before wantonly fpilled. They wanted to have
.confronted me with the French prifoners I formerly mentioned, and with
the Long Lieutenant, whom we met two days before the Choktah killed
one of our people below Boek'pbaraab, or the long fwamp. I was well
allured, he was to have gone down to be baptized, and fo become a good
Weft-Florida-French chriftian, in order to condemn me, the poor bloody
heretic. I faw him, and they had by this time taught him to count beads •,
but I doubted not of being able to extricate mvfelf fome way or other.
They appointed double centries over me, for fome days before I was to
be fent down in the French king’s large boat. They were ftriflly charged
againft laying down their weapons, or fuffering any hoftile thing to be"*
in the place where I was kept, as they deemed me capable of any mif-
chief. I was not indeed locked up, only at night, left it (hould give um¬
brage to our friendly Indians, but I was to have been put in irons, as
foon as the boat palled the Indian towns, that lay two miles below the
fort, in the forks of the Koofah and Okwhulke rivers. About an hour
before we were to fet off by water, I efcaped from them by land: and
though they had horfes near at hand, and a corrupt town of favages fet¬
tled within 150 yards of the garrifon, yet under thofe difadvantages, befides
heavy rains that loofened the ground the very night before, I took through
the middle of the low land covered with briers, at full fpeed. I heard the
French clattering on horfe-back along the path, a great way to my left
hand, and the howling favages purfuing my tracks with careful fteps, but
my ufual good fortune enabled me to leave them far enough behind, on
a heedlefs purfuit. As they had made my arms prifoners, I allowed them
without the leaft regret to carry down my horfes, clothes, &c. and punilh
them by proxy, in the manner they intended to have ferved the owner, for
his faithful fervices to his country.

While Governor G— prefided in South-Carolina, it was needlefs to ap¬
ply for a payment of the large debt the government owed me : but on
his being fucceeded by his Excellency W. H. L. Efq; 1 imagined this a

favourable

3^9 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

favourable time to make my addrefs. This worthy patriot had been well in¬
formed, by feveral Indian trading merchants of eminent charadler, of the
expenfive, difficult, and faithful fervices I had cheerfully done my country,
to the amount of above one thoufand pounds fterling on the public faith,
and of the ungenerous returns I had received: he according to his natural
kindnefs and humanity, promifed to afiift me. 1 then laid my cafe, with
the well-known and important fafts, before the members of the houfe of
aflembly in Charles town ; and when they convened, prefented a memorial
to the legiflative body. But feveral of the country reprefentatives happened
to be abfent i and as the governor could not be reafonably expefted in a
ffiort time, to purify the infected air which had prevailed in that houfe for
fourteen years, a majority of the members had evidently determined not to
alleviate my long complaint of grievances. To invalidate its force, they
objefted, that my claim was old 5 but did not attempt to prove the leaft
attic of what I exhibited to them to be falfe: they knew they could not.
After a long and warm debate, when my fecret enemies obferved the clerk of
the houfe was drawing near to the conclufton of my memorial, they feized
on a couple of unfortunate monofyllables. I had faid, that “ the Indian
Choktah had a great many fine promifesthe word fine was put to
the torture, as reflefting on the very fine-promifing gentleman. And
in another fentence, I mentioned the time his excellency the late Governor
©f South-Carolina did me the honour to write me a very fmootb artful letter,
by virtue of which I went all the way to Charles-town, &cc. The word
fmootb, fo highly ruffled the fmootb tempers of thofe gentlemen, that they
carried a vote by a majority, and had it regiftered, importing, that
they objected againft the indelicacy, or impropriety, of the language in
my memorial, but not againft the merit of its contents. The minute, I
here in a more public manner record anew, to the lafting honour of the
perfons who promoted it. The voice of opprefled truth, and injured inno¬
cence, can never be wholly ftifled. Left my memorial fhould again appear
at the public bar of juftice, in a lefs infe&ed time, it was not lent to the
office j which indicates that the former art of pocketing was not yet entirely
forgotten. Indeed every ftate fuffers more or lefs, from fome malign in¬
fluence, one time or other 5 but I have the happinefs to fey that the infe&ion
was not univerfel. South-Carolina has always been blefl'ed with fteady pa¬
triots, even in the mod corrupt times: and may ffie abound with firm pil¬
lars of the conftitutlon, according to our Magna Charta Americana, as

An Account of the Choktah Nation. 351

in the prefent trying aera of bleffed memory, fo long as the heavenly rays
fhall beam upon us !

As the power and happinflfs of Great Britain greatly depends on the
profperity of her American colonies, and the heart-foundnefs of her
civil and ecclefiaftical rulers—and as the welfare of America hangs on the
balance of a proper intercourfe with their Indian neighbours, and can never
be continued but by obferving and inforcing on both Tides, a drift adherence
to treaties, fupporting public faith, and allowing only a fufficient number
of fuch faithful and capable fubjefts to deal with them, as may gain their
affe&ions, and prove faithful centinels for the public fecurity—I prefume
that the above relations, and obfervations, indead of being thought to be
foreign, will be deemed effential to an hidory of the Indians. The re¬
marks may be conducive alfo to the public welfare. Ignorance, or felf-in-
sered, has hitherto wrongly informed the community of the true fituatiom
of our Indian affairs wcftward.

[ 35* )

account

O F T H E

CHIKKASAH NATION.

HE Chikkafah country lies in about 35 Deg. N. L. at the dif-

X tance of 160 miles from the eaftern fide of the Miflifippi; 160 miles
to the N. of the Choktah, according to the courfe of the trading path;
about half way from Mobille, to the Illinois, from S. to N s to the W. N.
W. of the Mufkohge (Creeks) about 300 computed miles, and a very
mountainous winding path ; from the Cheerake nearly W. about 540 miles;
the late Fort-Loudon is by water 500 miles to the Chikkafah landing place,
but only 95 computed miles by land.

The Chikkafah arc now fettled between the heads of two of the moll
weftern branches of Mobille-river; and within twelve miles of the eaftern
main fource of Tabrc Hacbe, which lower down is called Chokchooma-
river, as that nation made their firft fettlements there, after they came
on the other fide of the Miflifippi. Where it empties into this, they call
it Tabjhoo- river. Their tradition fays they had ten thoufand men fit
for war, when they firft came from the weft, and this account feems very
probable; as they, and the Choktah, and alfo the Chokchooma, who in pro-
cefs of time were forced by war to fettle between the two former nations,
came together from the weft as one family. The Chikkafah in the year
i- 20, had four large contiguous fettlements, which lay nearly in the form
of three parts of a fquare, only that the eaftern fide was five miles fhorter
than the weftern, with the open part toward the Choktah. Oqe was called
Taneka, about a mile wide, and fix miles long, at the diftance of twelve

miles

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 353

miles from their prefent towns. Another was ten computed miles long,
at the like diftance from their prefent fettlements, and from one to two
miles broad. The towns were called Shatara, Cbookheerefo , Hykehab, Tuf-
kawillao, and Pbalacbeho. The other fquare was Angle, began three miles
from their prefent place of reftdence, and ran four miles in length, and one
mile in breadth. This was called Cbookka Pbardab, or “ the long houfe.”
It was more populous than their whole nation contains at prefent. The
remains of this once formidable people make up the northern angle of
that broken fquare. They now' fcarcely conftft of four hundred and fifty
warriors, and are fettled three miles weftward from the deep creek, in a
clear tra£t of rich land, about three miles fquare, running afterward
about five miles toward the N. W. where the old fields are ufually a mile
broad. The fuperior number of their enemies forced them to take into
this narrow circle, for focial defence; and to build their towns, on com¬
manding ground, at fuch a convenient diftance from one another, as to
have their enemies, when attacked, between two fires.

Some of the old Nahchee Indians who formerly lived on the Miflifippi,
two hundred miles weft of the Choktah, told me the French demanded
from every one of their warriors a dreft buck-lkin, without any value for
it, i. e. they taxed them; but that the warriors hearts grew very crofs,
and loved the deer-lkins. According to the French accounts of the Miffi-
fippi-Indians, this feems to have been in the year 1729. As thofe Indians
were of a peaceable and kindly difpofition, numerous and warlike, and
always kept a friendly intercourfe with the Chikkafah, who never had any
good-will to the French ; thefe foon underftood their heart-burnings, and
by the advice of the old Englilh traders, carried them white pipes and to¬
bacco in their own name and that of South-Carolina,—perfuading them
with earneftnefs and policy to cut off the French, as they were refolved to
inflave them in their own beloved land. The Chikkafah fucceeded in their
embafiy. But as the Indians are flow in their councils on things of great
importance, though equally clofe and intent, it was the following year before
they could put their grand fcheme in execution. Some of their head¬
men indeed oppofed the plan, yet they never difcovered it. But when thefe
went a hunting in the woods, the embers burft into a raging flame. They at¬
tacked the French, who were flourifhing away in the greateft fecurity; and,
as was affirmed, they entirely cut off the garrifon, and neighbouring fettle-
Z z ments.

354 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

ments, confiding of fifteen hundred men, women, and children—the mif-
conduft of a few indifcreet perfons, occafioned fo great a number of inno¬
cent lives to be thus cut off.

The Nahchee afterwards built and fettled a ftrong (tockade fort, well-
ward of their ofd fields, near a lake that communicates with Bayouk Dar-
gent\ but the enfuing fummer, near 2000 French regulars and provincials;
befides a great body of the Choktah and other favages inverted it; The
befieged fallied on them, with the utmoft fury, killed a confiderable
number, and in all probability, would have totally deftroyed the white
foldiery, but for the lharp oppofition of the Choktah in their own method
of fighting. The Nahchee were at length repulfed, and bombarded with
three mortars, which forced them to fly off different ways. The faldiers
were too flow footed to purfue; but the Choktah, and other red allies;
captivated a great number of them, and carried them to New Or¬
leans, where feveral were burned, and the reft fent as flaves to the Weft
India Iflands: the greater part however went to the Chikkafah, where they
were fecured from the power of their French enemies. The French
demanded them, but being abfolutely refufed, unluckily for many thou*
fands of them, they formally declared war againft the Chikkafah. In the
open fields the Chikkafah bravely withftood, and repelled the greateft com¬
bined armies they were able to bring againft them; north and fouth, anti
gave them and their fwarms of red allies feveral notable defeats.

A body of the lower French, and about fourteen hundred Choktah;
attacked the Long Hbufe Town, when only fixty warriors were at
home-, yet they fought fo defperately, as to fecure themfelves, their
women and children, till fome of the hunters, who had been imme¬
diately fent for, came home to their afliftance; when, though exceed¬
ingly inferior in number, they drove them off with great lofs. Another
time, the lower and upper Louifiana-French, and a great body of red-auxi¬
liaries, furprifed late at night all their prefent towns, except Amalahta, that
had about forty warriors, and which flood at fome diftance from the others.
A confiderable number of the enemy were ported at every door, to prevent
their efcape; and what few ran out were killed on the fpot. The French
ftemed quite fure of their prey, having fo well inclofed it. But, at the dawn-
of day, when they were capering and ufing thofe flourifhes, that arc peculiar-

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation , 355

to that volatile nation, the other town drew round them ftark naked, and
painted all over red and black ; thus they attacked them, killed numbers on
the fpot, releafed their brethren, who joined them like enraged lions, increa-
fing as they fwept along, and in their turn incircled their enemies. Their re-
leafe increafed their joy and fury, and they rent the Iky with their founds.
Their flalhy enemies, now changed their boafting tune, into “ Oh mor-
blieu !” and gave up all for loft. Their red allies out-heel’d them, and
left them to receive their juft fate. They were all cut off but two, an offi¬
cer, and a negroe who faithfully held his horfe till he mounted, and then
ran along fide of him. A couple of fwift runners were fent after them,
who foon came up with them, and told them to live and go home and in¬
form their people, that as the Chikkafah hogs had now a plenty of ugly
French carcafes to feed on till next year, they hoped then to have another
vifit from them and their red friends •, and that, as meflengers, they wifhed
them fafe home. They accordingly returned with heavy hearts to the
Chikkafah landing place, N. W. on the Miflifippi, at the diftance
of 170 miles, where they took boat, and delivered their unexpefted
meflage:— grief and trembling fpread through the country,—and the
inhabitants could not fecure themfelves from the fury of thefe war¬
like, and enraged Chikkafah. Every one of their prifoners was put to
the fiery torture, without any pofiibility of redemption, their hearts were
lb exceedingly imbittered againft them.

Fluthed with this fuccefs, many parties turned out againft the French,
and from time to time hunted them far and near:—fome went to the
Miffifippi, made a fleet of cyprefs-bark canoes, watched their trading boats,
and cut off many of them without faving any of the people. The French
finding it imprafticahle for a few boats to pafs thofe red men of war, were
obliged to go in a fleet, carry fwivel-guns in their long pettiaugres, with
plenty of men •, but always fhunning the Chikkafah fide of the river, and
obferving the ftri<5eft order in their movements by day, and in their ftations
at night. The walking of a wild beaft, I have been allured, has frequently
called them to their arms, and kept them awake for the whole night, they
were in fo great a dread of this warlike nation. The name of a Chik¬
kafah became as dreadful, as it was hateful to their ears. And had it
not been more owing to French policy than bravery, in uniting all the
.Miffifippi and Canada-Indians in a confederacy and enmity againft them, Lou-
Z z a ifiana-

356 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation .

ifiana-fettlements would have been long fince, either entirely deftroyed, or
confined to garrifons.

When any of the French armies made a tolerable retreat, they thought
themfelves very happy.' Once, when the imprefiion was pretty much worn
out of their minds, and wine infpired them with new ftratagems, and hopes of
better fuccefs, a great body of them, mixed with a multitude of favages,
came to renew their attack. But as their hoftile intentions were early
difcovered, the Chikkafah had built a range of ftrong ftockade fort*
on ground which could not fafely be approached, as the contigu¬
ous land was low, and chanced then to be we:. A number of the French
and their allies drew near the weftern fort, but in the manner of hornets,
flying about to prevent their enemies from taking a true aim, while fe-
veral ranks followed each other in a flow and folemn proceflion, like
white-robed, tall, midnight-gholb, and as if fearlefs, and impenetrable.
The Indians did not at firft know what fort of animals they were, for
feveral fhots had been fired among them, without incommoding them, or
retarding their direft courfe to the fort:—as they advanced nearer, the Chik¬
kafah kept a continual fire at them, with a fure aim, according to their cus¬
tom ; this was with as little fuccefi as before, contrary to every attempt they
had ever made before againfl their enemies. The warriors concluded them
to be wizards, or old French-men carrying the ark of war againft them.
In their council, they were exceedingly perplexed: but juft as they
had concluded to oppofe fome of their own reputed prophets to deftroy
the power of thofe cunning men, or powerful fpirits of the French, lo I
thofe uncommon appearances fpread themfelves in battle-array, along the
fouth-fide of the fort, and threw hand granadoes into the fort. Hoop Hoop
Ha was now joyfully founded every where by the Chikkafah, being con¬
vinced they had Ikin and bone to fight with, inftead of fpirits. The
matches of the few ihells the French had time to throw, were too long;
and as our traders had joined their friends by this time, they pulled out fome,
and threw out other fhells,as near to the enemy as they poffibly could. They
foon found thofe dreadful phantoms were only common French-men, co¬
vered with wool-packs, which made their breafts invulnerable to all their
well-aimed bullets. They now turned out of the fort, fell on, fired at
their legs, brought down many of them and fealped them, and drove the
others with confiderable lofe quite away to the fouthern hills, where the

trembling

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 357

trembling army had ported themfelves out of danger. In the midft of the
night they decamped, and faved themfelves by a well-timed retreat, left
the Chikkafah triumphant, and infpired them with the ficrcencfs of fo many
tygers_v which the French often fatally experienced, far and near, till the
fate ceflion of Weft-Florida to Great Britain. I have two of thefe (hells,
which I keep with veneration, as fpeaking trophies over the boafting Mon-
fteurs, and their bloody fchemes.

In the year 17+8, tire French fent a party of their Indians to ftorm fome
of the Chikkafah traders’ hotifes. They accordingly came to my trading
houfe firft, as I lived in the frontier : finding it too dangerous to at¬
tempt to force it, they patted with their hands a confiderable time on one
of the doors, as a decoy, imitating the earned rap of the young wo¬
men who go a vifiting that time of night. Finding their labour in vain, one
of them lifted a billet of wood, and ftruck the fide of the houfe, where
the women and children lay •, fo as to frighten them and awake me—my
maftiffs had been fileneed with their venifon. At laft, the leader went
a-head with the beloved ark, and pretending to be diredted by the di¬
vine oracle, to watch another principal trader’s houfe, they accordingly
made for it, when a young woman, having occafion to go out of the houfe,
was (hot with a bullet that entered behind one of her breads and through
the other, ranging the bone; (he fuddenly wheeled round, and tumbled
down, within the threlhold of the houfe—the brave trader inftantly bounded
up, founding the war whoop, and in a moment grafped his gun, (for the
traders beds are always hung round with various arms of defence) and rel-
cued her—the Indian phyfician alfo, by his (kill in fimples, foon- cured her-

As fo much hath been already faid of the Chikkafah, in the ac¬
counts of the Checrake, Mulkohge, and Choktah, with whofe hi (lory,
theirs was neceflarily interwoven, my brevity here, I hope will be excufed-
—The Chikkafah live in as happy a region, as any under the lun. It is
temperate ; as cool in l'ummer, as can be wifhed, and but moderately cold
in winter. There is froft enough to purify the air, but not to chill the
blood t and the fnow does not lie four-and-twenty hours together. This
extraordinary benefit, is not from its Filiation to the equator, for the
Cheerake country, among the Apalahche mountains is colder, in a furprifyig
degree > but from the nature and levelnefa of the extenfive circumjacent
lands, which in general are very fertile- They have no running dream in

their

35 S An Account of the Chikkafah Nation .

their prefent fettlement. In their old fields, they have banks of oyder-
fliells, at the didance of four hundred milts from the fea-lhore; which is a
vifible token of a general deluge, when It fwept away the loofe earth from,
the mountains, by the force of a tempeduous n.orth-ead wind, and thus,
produced the fertile lands of the Mifiifippi, which probably was fea, before
that dreadful event.

As the Chikkafah fought the French and their red allies, with the utmoft
firmnefs, in defence of their, liberties and lands, to the very lad, without
regarding their decay, only as an incentive tp revenge their Ioffes-, equity
and gratitude ought to induce us to be kind to our fteady old friends,
and only purchafe fo much of their land, as they would difpofe of, for
value. With proper management, they would prove extremely fcrviceable
to a Britilh colony, on the Mifiifippi. I hope no future mifconduft will
alienate their affeftions, after the manner of the fuper-intendant’s late de¬
puty, which hath been already mentioned. The fkilful French could never
confide in the Choktah, and we may depend on being forced to hold hot
difputes with them, in the infant ftate of the Mifiifippi fettlements : it is
wildom to provide againd the word events that can.be reafonably expefted
to happen. The remote inhabitants of our northern colonies are well ac¬
quainted with the great value of thofe lands, from their obfervations on
the 'fpot. The foil and climate are fit for hemp, filk, indigo, wine, and
many other valuable produflions, which our merchants purchafe from fo¬
reigners, fometimes at a confiderable difadvantage—The range is fo good for
horfes, cattle, and hogs, that they would grow large, and multiply faff,
without the lead occafion of feeding them in winter, or at lead for, a long
fpace of time, by reafon of the numberlefs branches of reeds and canes
•that are interfperfed, with nuts of various kinds. Rice, wheat, oats, bar¬
ley, Indian corn, fruit-trees, and kitchen plants, would grow to, admiration.
As the ancients tell us, “ Bacchus amat montes,” fo grape-vines mud thrive
extremely well on the hills of the Mifiifippi, for they are fo rich as to pro¬
duce winter-canes, contrary to what is known at any didance to the north¬
ward. If Britilh fubjecls could fettle Wed-Florida in fecurity, it would in
a few years become very valuable to Great Britain : and they would foon
have as much profit, as they could defire, to reward their labour. Here,
five hundred families would in all probability, be more beneficial to our mo¬
ther-country, than the whole colony of North Carolina : befides innumerable
•branches toward Ohio and Monongahela.

Enemies

An Account of the Chilckafah Nation. 359*

Enemies to the public good, may enter caveats againft our fettling
where the navigation is precarious; arid the extraordinary kindnefs of
the late miniftry to the French and Spaniards prevented our having an
exclufive navigation on the Miflifippi. Aberville might ftill become
a valuable mart to us-, and from New Orleans it is only three miles
to Saint John’s Creek, where people pafs through the lake of Saint
Louis, and embark for Mobille and Penfacola. The Spaniards have
wifely taken the advantage of our mifconduft, by fortifying Loui-
fiana, and employing the French to conciliate the affeflions of the fa-
vages ; while our legiflators, fermented with the corrupt lees of falfc
power, are driving to whip us with fcorpions. As all the Florida In¬
dians are grown jealous of us, fince we fettled E. and YV. Florida, and
are unacquainted with the great power of the Spaniards in South America;
and have the French to polilh their rough Indian politics, Louifiana is
likely to prove more beneficial-to them, than it did to the French. They
are fortifying their Miflifippi fettlements like a New Flanders, and their
French artifts, on account of our minifterial lethargy, will have a good op¬
portunity, if an European war Ihould commence, to continue our valuable
wefiern barriers as wild and watte, as the French left them. The warlike
Chikkafah proved fo formidable to them, that, except a fmall fettlement
above New Orleans, which was covered by the Choktah bounds,
they did not attempt to make any other on the eaftern fide of the Miflifippi,
below the Illinois-, though it contains filch a vail: traft of fine land, as
would be fufficienrfor four colonies of two hundred and fifty miles fquare.
Had they been able by their united efforts, to have deftroyed the Chik¬
kafah, they would not have been idle; for, in that cafe, the Choktah-
would have been foon fwallowed up, by the afliftance of their other allies^
as they never fupplied them with arms and ammunition, except thofe who-
went to war againft the Chikkafah.

From North-Carolina to the Miflifippi, the land near the fea, is, irr ge¬
neral, low andTandy-, and it is very much fo in the two colonies of Flo¬
rida, to a confiderable extent from the fea-thore, when the lands appear
fertile, level, and diverfified with hills. Trees indicate the goodnefs or-
badnefs of land, Pine-trees grow on fandy, barren ground, which pro¬
duces long coarfe grafs; the adjacent low lands abound-with cane-s, reeds,.

3<fS An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

their prefent fcttlement. In their old fields, they have banks of oyflcr-
fliells, at the didance of four hundred milts from the fea-lhore •, which is a
vifible token of a general deluge, when it fwept away the loofe earth from,
the mountains, by the force of a tempeduous n.orth-eaft wind, and thus,
produced the fertile lands of the Mifiifippi, which probably was fea, before
that dreadful event.

As the Chikkafah fought the French and their red allies, with the utmoft
firmnefs, in defence of their liberties and lands, to the very lad, without
regarding their decay, only as an incentive to revenge their Ioffes •, equity
and gratitude ought to induce us to be kind to our fteady old friends,
and only purchafe fo much of their land, as they would difpofe of, for
value. With proper management, they would prove extremely fcrviceable
to a Britilh colony, on the Miflifippi. I hope no future mifconduft will
alienate their affections, after the manner of the fuper-intendant’s late de¬
puty, which hath been already mentioned. The fkilful French could never
confide in the Choktah, and we may depend on being forced to hold hot
difputes with them, in the infant date of the Miflifippi fettlements: it is
wil'dom to provide againft the word events that can. be reafonably expefted
to happen. . The remote inhabitants of our northern colonies are well ac¬
quainted with the great value of thofe lands, from their obfervations on
the fpot. The foil and climate are fit for hemp, filk, indigo, wine, and
many other valuable productions, which our merchants purchafe from fo¬
reigners, fometimes at a confiderable difadvantage—The range is fo good for
horfes, cattle, and hogs, that they would grow large, and multiply fad,
without the lead occafion of feeding them in winter, or at lead for. a long
fpace of time, by reafon of the numberlefs branches of reeds and canes
■that are interfperfed, with nuts of various kinds. Rice, wheat, oats, bar¬
ley, Indian corn, fruit-trees, and kitchen plants, would grow to, admiration.
As the ancients tell us, “ Bacchus amat montes,” fo grape-vines mud thrive
extremely well on the hills of the Miflifippi, for they are fo rich as to pro¬
duce winter-canes, contrary to what is known at any didance to the north¬
ward. If Britilh fubjeCls could fettle Wed-Florida in fecurity, it would in
a few years become very valuable to Great-Britain : and they would foon
have as much profit, as they could defire, to reward their labour. Here,
five hundred families would in all probability, be more beneficial to our mo¬
ther-country, than the whole colony of North Carolina : befides innumerable
branches toward Ohio and Monongaheia.

Enemies

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

Enemies to the public good, may enter caveats againft our fettling
where the navigation is precarious; and the ' extraordinary kindnefs of
the late miniftry to the French and Spaniards prevented our having an
exclufive navigation on the Milfifippi. Aberville might ftill become
a valuable mart to us 5 and from New Orleans it is only three miles
to Saint John’s Creek, where people pafs through the lake of Saint
Louis, and embark for Mobille and Penfacola. The Spaniards have
wifely taken the advantage of our mifeonduft, by fortifying Loui-
fiana, and employing the French to conciliate the affeflions of the la¬
vages ; while our legiflators, fermented with the corrupt lees of falle
power, are driving to whip us with fcorpions. As all the Florida In¬
dians are grown jealous of us, fince we fettled- E. and W. Florida, and
are unacquainted with the great power of the Spaniards in South America*
and have the French to polilh their rough Indian politics, Louifiana is
likely to prove more beneficial to them, than it did to the French. They
are fortifying their Miflifippi fettlements like a New Flanders, and theis
French artifts, on account of our minifterial lethargy, will have a good op¬
portunity, if an European war ftiould commence, to continue our valuable
weftern barriers as wild and wade, as the French left them. The warlike
Chikkafah proved fo formidable to them, that, except a fmall fettlement
above New Orleans, which was covered by the Choktah bounds,
they did not attempt to make any other on the eaftern fide of the Miflifippi*
below the Illinois; though it contains fuch a vail traft of fine land, as
would be fufficienrfor four colonies of two hundred and fifty miles fquare.
Had they been able by their united efforts, to have deftroyed the Chik¬
kafah, they would not have been idle; for, in that cafe, the Choktah-
would have been foon fwallowed up, by the afliftance of their other allies,,
as they never fupplied them with arms and ammunition, except thofe who
went to war againft the Chikkafah-.

From North-Carolina to the Miflifippi, the land near the fea, is, in ge¬
neral, low and fandy; and it is very much fo in the two colonies of Flo¬
rida, to a confiderable extent from the fea-Ihore, when the lands appear
fertile, level, and diverfified with hills. Trees indicate the goodnefs or-
badnefs of land. Pine-trees grow on fandy, barren ground, which pro¬
duces long coarfe grafs; the adjacent low lands abound-with canes, reeds,.

2

360 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

or bay and laurel of various forts, which are (haded with large expand¬
ing trees — they compofe an evergreen thicket, moftly impenetrable
to the beams of the fun, where the horfes, deer, and cattle, chiefly feed
during the winter: and the panthers, bears, wolves, wild cats, and foxes,
refort there, both for the fake of prey, and a cover from the hunters.
Lands of a loofe black foil, fuch as thofe of the Miflilippi, are covered with
fine grafs and herbage, and well (haded with large and high trees of hic-
cory, a(h, white, red, and black oaks, great towering poplars, black
walnut-trees, faflafras, and vines. The low wet lands adjoining the rivers,
chiefly yield cyprefs-trees, which are very large, and of a prodigious height.
On the dry grounds is plenty of beach, maple, holly, the cotton-tree, with
a prodigious variety of other forts. But we muft not omit the black mul¬
berry-tree, which, likewife, is plenty. It is high, and, if it had proper air
and fun-lhine, the boughs would be very fpreading. On the fruit, the bears
and wild fowl feed during their feafon; and alfo fwarms of paroquets,
enough to deafen one with their chattering, in the time of thofe joyful
repafts. I believe the white mulberry-tree does not grow fpontaneoufly in
North-America. On the hills, there is plenty of chefnut-trees, and chef-
nut-oaks. Thefe yield the largeft fort of acorns, but wet weather foon
fpoils them. In winter, the deer and bears fatten themfelves on various
kinds of nuts, which lie thick over the rich land, if the blofioms have
not been blafted by the north-eaft winds. The wild turkeys live on the
(mail red acorns, and grow fo fat in March, that they cannot fly farther
than three or four hundred yards •, and not being able foon to take the
wing again, we fpeedily run them down with our horfes and hunting maf-
tifis. At many unfrequented places of the Miflilippi, they are fo tame as
to be (hot with a piltol, of which our troops profited, in their way to take
pofleflion of the Illinois-garrifon. There is a plenty of wild parfley, on
the banks of that river, the roots of which are as large as thofe of par-
fnips, and it is as good as the other fort. The Indians fay, they have not
feen it grow in any woods remote from their country. They have a large
fort of plums, which their anceftors brought with them from South-Ame-
rica, and which are now become plenty among our colonies, called Chik¬
kafah plums.

To the North Weft, the Miflilippi lands are covered with filberts,
which are as fweet, and thin-lhelled, as the fcaly bark hiccory-nuts.

3 Hazel-

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 361

Hazel-nuts are very plenty, but the Indians feldom eat them. Black
haws grow here in clutters, free from prickles: and piflimmons, of
which they make very pleafant bread, barbicuing it in the woods. There '
is a fort of fine plums in a few places, large, and well-tatted ; and, if
tranfplanted, they would become better. The honey-locufts are pods
about a fpan-long, and almoft two inches broad, containing a row of large
feed on one fide, and a tough fweet fubftance the other. The tree is
large, and full of long thorns •, which forces the wild beatts to wait till they
fall off, before they can gather that part of their harveft.—The trees grow
in wet four land, and are plenty, and the timber is very durable. Where
there is no pitch-pine, the Indians ufe this, or the faflafras, for polls
to their houfes -, as they laft for generations, and the worms never take
them. Chinquapins are very plenty, of the tafte of chefnuts, but much lefs
in fize. There are feveral forts of very wholefome and pleafant-tatted ground
nuts, which few of our colonitts know any thing of. In wet land, there
is an aromatic red fpiee, and a fort of cinnamon, which the natives feldom
ufe. The Yopon, or Cufleena, is very plenty, as far as the fait air
reaches over the low lands. It is well tatted, and very agreeable to thofe
who accuftom themfelves to ufe it: inftead of having any noxious quality,
according to what many have experienced of the Eaft-India infipid and
coftly tea, it is friendly to the human fyftem, enters into a conteft
with the peccant humours, and expels them through the various channels
of nature : it perfectly cures a tremor in the nerves. The North-American
tea has a pleafant aromatic tafte, and the very fame falubrious property, as
the Cufleena. It is an evergreen, and grows on hills. The bulhes are
about a foot high, each of them containing in winter a fmall aroma¬
tic red berry, in the middle of the ftalk: fuch I faw it about Chriftmas,
when hunting among the mountains, oppofite to the lower Mohawk
Cattle, in the time of a deep fnow. There is no vifible decay of the
leaf, and Oftober feems to be the proper time to gather it. The early
buds of faflafras, and the leaves of ginfeng, make a mod excellent tea,
equally pleafant to the tafte, and conducive to health. The Chinefe
have fenfe enough to fell their enervating and flow-poifoning teas, under
various fine titles, while they themfelves prefer Ginfeng-leaves. Each of
our colonies abounds with ginfeng, among the hills chat lie far from the
fea. Ninety-fix fettlement, is the lowed place where I have feen it grow in
South Carolina. It is very plenty on the fertile parts of the Cheerake
A a a mountains;

j62 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

mountains •, it refembles Angelica, which in mod places is alfo plenty.
Its leaves are of a darker green, and about a foot and half from the root;
the dalk fends out three equal branches, in the center of which a fmall
berry grows, of a red colour, in Augud.—The feeds are a very ftrong
and agreeable aromatic : it is plenty in Weft-Florida. The Indians ufe it
on religious occafions. It is a great lofs to a valuable branch of trade,
that our people neither gather it in a proper feafon, nor can cure it, fo as
to give it a clear Ihining colour, like the Chinefe tea. I prefume it does
not turn out well to our American traders •, for, up the Mohawk river, a
gentleman who had purchafed a large quantity of it, told me that a Ikippel,
or three bufhels, coft him only nine drillings of New York currency : and
in Charles-Town, an inhabitant of the upper Yadkin fettlements in North
Carolina, who came down with me from viewing the Nahchee old fields
on the Miffifippi, allured me he could not get from any of the South
Carolina merchants, one ihilling fterling a pound for it, though his peo¬
ple brought it from the Alehgany, and Apalahche mountains, two hundred
miles to Charles-Town.

It would be a fervice, worthy of a public-fpirited gentleman, to inform
us how to preferve the Ginfeng, fo as to give it a proper colour; for could
we once effect that, it mult become a valuable branch of trade. It is an
exceeding good ftomachic, and greatly fupports nature againft hunger and
third. It is likewife beneficial againd adhmatic complaints, and it may
be faid to promote fertility in women, as much as the Eaft-India tea
caufcs fterility in proportion to the baneful ufe that is made of it. A
learned phyfician and botanid allured me, that the eadern teas are (low, but
fure poifon, in our American climates ; and that he generally ufed the Gin¬
feng very fuccefsfully in clyders, to thofe who had dedroyed their health, by
that dangerous habit. I advifed my friend to write a treatife on its me¬
dical virtues, in the poderior application, as it mud redound much to
the public good. He told me, it would be needlefs 5 for quacks could
gain nothing from the bed directions j and that already feveral of his ac¬
quaintance of the faculty modly purfued his practice in curing their
patients. The eadern tea is as much inferior to our American teas, in its
nourilhing quality, as their album grascum is to our pure venifon, from
which we here fometimes colleCt it; let us, therefore, like frugal and
wife people, ufe our own valuable aromatic tea, and thus induce our Bri-

tilh

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 363

tirti brethren to imitate our pleafant and healthy regimen; Ihewing the
utmoft indifference to any duties the ftatefmen of Great-Britain, in their
affumed prerogative, may think proper to lay on their Eaft-India poifon-
ing, and dear-bought teas.

The induftry of the uncorrupt part of the Indians, in general, and of the
Chikkafah, in particular, extends no farther than to fupport a plain Ample life,
and fecure themfelves from the power of the enemy, and from hunger and
cold. Indeed moft of them arc of late grown fond of the ornaments of life, of
raifing live ftock, and ufing a greater induftry than formerly, to increafe
wealth. This is to be afcribed to their long intercourfe with us, and the fami¬
liar eafy way in which our traders live with them, begetting imperceptibly
an emulous fpirit of imitation, according to the ufual progrefs of human
life. Such a difpofition, is a great advance towards their being civilized ;
which, certainly muft be effefted, before we can reafonably expeft to be
able to bring them to the true principles of chriftianity. Inftead of re¬
forming the Indians, the monks and friars corrupted their morals: for,
in the place of inculcating love, peace, and good-will to their red pupils,
as became meffengers of the divine author of peace, they only impreffed
their flexible minds with an implacable hatred againft every BritiQi fub-
jeft, without any diftinftion. Our people will foon difcover the bad po¬
licy of the late Quebec aft, and it is to be hoped that Great-Britain
will in due time, fend thofe black croaking clerical frogs of Canada home
to their infallible mufti of Rome.

I muft here beg leave to be indulged, in a few obfervations on our own
American miflionaries. Many evils are produced by fending out ignorant
and wicked perfons as clergymen. Of the few I know,—two among them
dare not venture on repeating but a few collefts in the common prayer.
A heathen could fay, “ if thou wouldft have me weep, thou muft firft
weep thyfelfand how is it poffible we Ihould be able to make good im-
p re Dions on others, unlefs they are firft vifible on ourfelves ? The very
rudiments of learning, not to fay of religion, are wanting in feveral of our
miffionary Evangelifts; the bell apology I have heard in their behalf, is, “ an
Englilh nobleman alked a certain biffiop, why he conferred holy orders on
fuch a parcel of arrant blockheads ? He replied, becaufe it was better to
have the ground plowed by affes, than leave it a wafte full of thiftles.”

A a a z It

364 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

It feems very furprifing, that thofe who are invefted with a power of
conferring ecclefiaftical orders, fhould be fo carelefs in propagating the holy
gofpel, and afliduous to prophane holy things, in appointing and ordaining
illiterate and irreligious perlons to the fervice. What is it ? but faying,
“ go teach the American fools. My blefling is enough. Cherilh con¬
fidence, and depend upon it, they will not have confidence to laugh at you :
Leave the remote and poor fettlements to the care of divine providence,
which is diffufive of its rich gifts. The harveft is great elfewhere. Only
endeayour to epifcopize the northern colonies •, it is enough: there they
are numerous, and able to pay Peter’s pence, as well as our old jewifh, and
new parliamentary tithes; and in time your labours will be crowned with
fuccefs.”

That court however, which fends abroad ftupid embafladors to reprefent
it, cannot be reafonably expefted to have fuccefs, but rather fhame and de-
rifion. What can we think at this diftance, when we fee the number of
blind guides, our fpiritual fathers at home have fent to us, to lead us clear of
the mazes of error ? but, that they think of us with indifference, and are
ftudioufly bent on their own temporal intereft, inftead of our fpiritual
welfare. There are thoufandis of the Americans, who I believe have not
heard fix fermons for the fpace of above thirty years—and in faft they
have more knowledge than the teachers who are fent to them, and too
much religion to communicate with them. And even the blinder fort of
the laity not finding truth fufficiently fupported- by their- purblind guides,
grow proud of their own imaginary knowledge, and fome thereby proudly
commence teachers,—by which means they rend the church afunder; and,
inftead of peace and love, they plant envy, contempt, hatred, revilings,
and produce the works of the flefh, inftead of thofe of the fpirit.

Not fo aft the uncivilized Indians. Their fuppofed holy orders are ob¬
tained from a clofe attention to, and approved knowledge of their facred
myfteries. No temptations can corrupt their virtue on that head : neither
will they convey their divine fecrets to the known impure. This conduft
is worthy to be copied, by all who pretend to any religion at all, and efpe-
cially by thofe who are honoured with the pontifical dignity, and aflume the
name of “ Right reverend, and Moft reverend Fathers in God.” I have
been importunately requefted at different times,, by feveral eminent gentle-

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 365

men, who with well to both church and ftate, to reprefent the evils refulting
from fuch miflionaries, in hope of redrefs j and on this occaGon, I thought
it criminal to refufe their virtuous requeft. The reprefentation is true, and
the writer is perfuaded he cannot give the leaft offence by it, to any but
the guilty.

My Gtuation does not allow me, to fix the bounds our legiflators claim
on the Miflifippi: but I have good reafon to believe that the fine court
title which France, in her late dying will, has transferred to Great-
Britain, moftly confifts in ideal poffeffions (he never enjoyed. The
monopolies already made, are equally unjuft and pernicious. They, who
take up valuable lands, efpecially on fuch a barrier, ought to fettle them in
a reafonable time, or be prevented from keeping out induftrious inhabi¬
tants, and caufing the place to continue in a defencelefs condition. Before
we can fettle the Miflifippi, with any reafonable view of fuccefs, the go¬
vernment muft build fufficient places of ftrength, both to make the co¬
lony appear refpectable in the eyes of the Indians, and guard it from the
evil eye of the Spaniards, who are watching at New Orleans, and over
the river, to impede our interefts, in that valuable but dangerous quarter.
It might become an impenetrable barrier, if proper encouragement was
given to the laborious and hardy inhabitants of our northern fettlements,
on the various branches of the Ohio, and in the back fettlements of North
Carolina, who are now alrnoft ufelefs to the community. As Great-Britain
would be the chief gainer by their removal, (he ought to encourage them
to remove. Great numbers of them were preparing to come down, even
in the years 1768 and 1769; but finding too many inconveniencies and
hazards in their way, they declined the attempt. As it is natural for every
colony to endeavour to increafe its number of induftrious inhabitants, it ;
cannot be expefled, even if the mother country behaved more prudently
than of late, that any of them would exert themfelves much on fuch an oc-
cafion, as to raife dangerous rivals in their own ftaple commodity—However
rice, indigo, (ilk, hemp, wine, and many other valuable produdtions are fuit-
able to fo fine a foil and climate 5 befides great quantities of beef, pork, and
every kind of ufeful timber for Jamaica, which is contiguous to the mouth
of the Miflifippi. So great an acquifition of raw materials would foon
prove very beneficial to Great-Britain, as well as a great fafe-guard to the
beft part of our otlier colonies, and a very needful check to Spanilh infa-
5 knee.

366 An Account of -the Chikkafah Nation.

lence. Such a material undertaking, as the colonizing of fo important a
barrier, deferves public encouragement to put it in a fair way of doing
well; and the continuance of a fupply, and protedtion through its infant
ftate, to fecure it from any artful attempts the Spaniards and their French
fubjedls might plot to difturb its tranquility, and thereby check its
growth.

There might be introduced even among the Indian nations I have de-
feribed, a fpirit of induftry, in cultivating fuch produ&ions as would agree
with their land and climates ; efpecially, if the fuper-intendency of our In¬
dian affairs, weftward, was conferred on the fenfible, public-fpirited, and
judicious Mr. George Galphin, merchant, or Lachlan M'Gilwray, Efqj of
equal merit. Every Indian trader knows from long experience, that both
thefe gentlemen have a greater influence over the dangerous Mufkohge,
than any others befides. And the fecurity of Georgia requires one or other
'of them fpeedily to fuperintend our Indian affairs. It was, chiefly, the
fkilful management of thefe worthy patriots, which prevented the Mufkohge
from joining theCheerake, according to treaty, againft us in the years 1760
and 1761,—to their great expence and hazard of life, as they allowed thofe
favages to eat, drink, and fleep at Silver-Bluff, below New Windfor gar-
rifon, and at Augufta fifteen miles apart, and about 150 miles from Savanah.
I write from my own knowledge, for I was then on the fpot, with a captain’s
commifiion from South Carolina. A Mufkohge war againft us, could
eafily be prevented by either of thofe gentlemen, if chofen, and the de-
ftruftive plan of general licences was repealed. It is to be hoped, that they
who are inverted with the power, will retraft their former error, and
have the pleafure of knowing the good effedt it would produce, by giving an
opportunity of civilizing and reforming the favages ; which can never be
effedted by the former ufual means. Admit into Indian countries, a fufficient
number of difereet orderly traders.—This needful regulation will likewife
benefit trade, which is almoft ruined ; and our valuable weak frontier colo¬
nies would thereby increafe in numbers, proportionable to their fecurity.

Formerly, each trader had a licence for two towns, or villages; but ac¬
cording td the prefent unwife plan, two, and even three Arab-like pedlars
fculk about in one of thofe villages. Several of them alfo frequently
emigrate into the woods with fpirituous liquors, and cheating trifles,
5 after

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 367

after the Indian hunting camps, in the winter feafon, to the great injury of
a regular trader, who fupplies them with all the conveniencies of hunting:
for, as they will fell even their wearing fhirt for inebriating liquors, they
muft be fupplied anew in the fall of the year, by the trader. At my firft
fetting out among them, a number of traders who lived contiguous to each
other, joined through our various nations in different companies, and were
generally men of worth : of courfe, they would have a living price for their
goods, which they carried on horfeback to the remote Indian countries, at
very great expences. Thefe fet an honeft copy for the imitation of the W
tives, for as they had much at ftake, their own intereft and that of the go¬
vernment co-incided. As the trade was in this wife manner kept up to its
juft ftandard, the favages were induftrious and frugal. But, lowering it,
through a miftaken notion of regaining their affeflions, we made ourfelves
too cheap to them, and they defpifed us for it. The trade ought to be
raifed to a reafonable fixed price, the firft convenient opportunity—thus
we Ihall keep them employed, and ourfelves fecure. Should we lower the
trade, even fifty per cent below the prime coft, they would become only
the more difeontented, by thinking we had cheated them all the years path
A mean fubmiflive temper can never manage our Indian affairs. The
qualities of a kind friend, fenfible fpeaker, and aftive brilk warrior, muft
conftitute the character of a fuperintendant. Great care ought to be taken,
not to give the Indians offence, or a mean opinion of the people or govern¬
ment our Indian fuperintendants reprefent.

At a general congrefs in Mobille, Anno 1765, where were prefent his
Excellency the learned, cheerful, patriotic Governor of Weft-Florida,
George Johnftone Efquire, the prefent fuperintendant of Indian affairs,
and the head-men and warriors of the Choktah, and warlike Chikkafah
nations, a tariff of trade was fettled on every material article, in the moft
public and folemn manner, rnoftly according to the Mufkohge ftandard, and
to the great fatisfadlion of the Indians. The price for which the corrupt
and Ihamefully-indulged vagrant pedlars forced the traders at the rifque
of their lives, to traffic with them, being then about 70 per cent, below
the French tariff in Indian trade up the Miffifippi. Each of theft tra¬
ders took out Indian trading licences, to which the fixed prices of vari¬
ous goods were annext, thereby jmpowering them to traffic during the
fpace of a twelvemonth; and they gave penal bonds of fecurity to the

fecretary.

^68 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

fecretrary, for the juft obfervance of their inftruflions. This proved how¬
ever, through a bare-faced partiality, only a lhameful farce on oeconomy
and good order. His Excellency, and the honourable Col. W—n, were
fo ftrongly convinced of my former integrity, that in order to teftify pub¬
licly their approbation of my good conduct, they did me the honour
to pafs fecurity in the fecretary’s office, for my dealing with the Indians
in ftrift conformity to the laws of trade. As I loft in the fpace of a
year, to the amount of two and twenty hundred dollars-worth of goods at
prime coft, by the diforderly condudl of other licenfed traders, and had juft
reafon to hope for redrefs on exhibiting a well-fupported complaint; I
drew up on my own account, and at the importunate requeft of the Chik¬
kafah head-men, a memorial, fetting forth their having notorioufly violated
every effential part of their inftrudtions, enticing the Indians alfo to get
drunk, and then taught them to blafpheme their maker. This I proved,
and that fome of the lawlefs traders had furnifhed the Indians, in the
fpace of a few months, with fo great a quantity of prohibited liquors,
as either did, or might enable fome of them to decoy the favages to fquan-
der away thoufands of dreft deer-fkins, — but they efcaped with impu¬
nity.

A few months before this period, fome family difputes rofe very high
between the Chikkafah, on the following account. The Indians being
ambitious, free, and jealous of their liberties, as well as independent of
each other, where mutual confent is not obtained ; one half of the nation
were exceedingly difpleafed with the other, becaufe, by the reiterated per-
fuafions of a certain deputy, the latter had difpofed of a trail of land,
twelve miles toward the fouth, on the upper trading Choktah, or Mo-
bille path, to one of thofe diforderly traders. By the application of th,e
deputy; the head-men of both parties met him according to appointment,
and partook of a plentiful barbicued feaft, with plenty of fpirituous li¬
quors. As fuch conduit was againft his majefty’s proclamation, at^d ap¬
peared to me to be calculated, either for a clandeftine trade, or family-job,
1 rejefled the invitation, left otherwife I might be charged as a party.
When they became intoxicated with liquor, a war-leader of the diffenting
party, ftruck his tomohawk at the head of a noted chieftain, upbraid¬
ing him for bringing a ftrange fire into their land; but happily the blow
miffed its aim. Their difputes confequently rofe higher every day ; and the

diflidents

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 369

diflidents informed the Mulkohge of their then fituation, and future inten¬
tions. Tab-Tab-1 ' uftanage, “ the Great Mortar,” a bitter enemy of the
Englilh, foon fent up a company of his war-relations, to perfuade them to
guard in time, againft our dangerous encroachments, by killing all the
Englilh, that planted their lands without the general confent of the owners,
and to take their black people as a good prize becaufe they were building
and planting for the reception of an Englilh garrifon, which was to come
from the Miffifippi, and be the firfb means of enflaving them. While
their tranfport of madnefs lafted, it was fruitlefs to reafon with them but
at every convenient opportunity, I ufed fuch plain, friendly, and perfuafive
arguments to footh them, as I imagined might regain their loft affec¬
tions, and procraftinate the dangerous impending blow. They confented
at laft to forbear every kind of refentment againft our late fufpicious con-
duft, on condition of my writing to thofe who could redrefs them, and our
people fpeedily withdrawing from their land the intruding planters. This
I did; and at Mobille I delivered my remonftrance to the fuperintendant.
Upon my urging the abfolute neceflity of pacifying our old fteady friends,,
by removing the ungenerous caufe of their jealoufy, he affured me, that he
would gladly comply with fo juft a requeft, efpecially, as it exa&ly coin¬
cided with his majefty’s proclamation, then fixed on the fort-gate.

In the fpace of about ten days after, by order of Governor Johnftone, alL
the Chikkafah and Choktah traders were cited to appear before him and
the fuperintendant, in order to know the merit of, and anfwer to, my nu¬
merous complaints. When they appeared, and every thing was properly
adjufted, his fecretary read paragraph by paragraph, and his excellency,
very minutely examined all the reputable traders, who confirmed to his full,
fatisfaftion, the truth of syery thing in my complaint. But tho’ the memo¬
rial fet forth, among other inftances, that “ but a few minutes after I had
once a troublefome difpute with the abovementioned Chikkafah leader, on
account of the traders prohibited and poifoning liquors, he went home dif-
tradled, and finding none but his aged mother, he would have killed her
with his tomahawk, only for her earned entreaties, and then fudden
efcape,”—yet none of thofe diforderly people were either fufpended from
trading with the Indians, or forfeited the penalty of their bonds—neither
wts the Indians requeft complied with. Though, I believe, the termination,
was to the no fmall mortification of his excellency.

B b b

Anna.

370 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

Anno 1767, the fuper-intendant’s deputy convened all the Chikkafah
traders and head-men of the nation, declaring that he had received pofitive
orders from the fuperior over Indian affairs, to bring the trade to the late
ftandard of the Mufkohge. The head-men replied, that if their traders,
or the fuper-intendant afted unwifely, they were not bound to follow the
copy. We urged, that he had already exceedingly lowered the Miffi-
fippi-Indian trade, and had, at the Mobille congrefs, fixed a Tariff, a copy
of which every one of us had, as well as a regular licence, having given
approved fecurity for our peaceable conduit, and fair dealing with the
Indians, for the fpace of a year: and that befides the wrong policy of fuch
an edidt, as he now propofed, if we proved rogues to our own intereft
with them, we ought to be arrefted as fools below. We concluded, by
obferving the great difadvantage of navigation that Mobille lay under, to
which Charles-town was no way expoled in imports and exports ; and that if
the aforefaid Indian trade fhould, by any act be reduced below its prefent
ftandard, it muft neceffarily ceafe of itfelf, unlefs as free-men, we faid No
to the command. Which the traders did, and refolved to fupport it.

The deputies treatment of Capt. J. C—1—b—rt, who has lived among
the Chikkafah from his childhood, and fpeaks their language even
with more propriety than the Englilh, deferves to be recorded—but I
hope the gentleman will foon do it himfelf, to fhew the higher powers the
confequences of appointing improper, mercenary, and haughty perfons to
fuch offices. Sir William Johnfon afled very differently—he was kind,
intelligent, intrepid—he knew when to frown and when to fmile on the In¬
dian nations he was connefted with, and blended the ferpent with the dove.
He chofe his deputies or reprefentatives in the Indian countries, according
to their qualifications in the Indian life ; and not unfkilful men, and mere
flrangers, like fome who have been obtruded into our fouthern nations. His
prudent and brave deputy Col. Craghan, did our chain of colonies more real
fervice in a few months, than all our late fouthern commiffioners of Indian af¬
fairs could poffibly have done in ages. In the dangerous time of our fettling
the Illinois-garrifon, 500 leagues up the Miffifippi, he went from Johnfon’s
Hall, in the lower part of the Mohawk country, and from thence courfed
through the various nations of Indians, to the head-branches of Canada;
and in like manner, down thofe of the Miffifippi, to the garrifon, amidft
the jjreateft dangers; plcaiing and reconciling the fayages as he proceeded.

An Account of tie Chikkafah Nation. 37 c

The Chikkafah firft informed me of his journey and fuccefs—and I had it
fbme time after, circumftantially confirmed to me by Sir W. Johnfon.
When I fpoke to the Col. himfelf on his fatigues and perils, he modeftly
replied “ that while he was performing the needful duties of his office, and
afting the part of a beloved man with the fwan’s wing, white pipe, and
white beads, for the general good of his country, and of its red neighbours,
he had no leifure to think of any perfonal dangers that might befall a well-
meaning peace-maker.” Having reconciled the Kulkulke Indians, whom
the French garrifon had decoyed by their falfe painting of us, to remove
with them over the Miffifippi,—he from thence proceeded down by water to-
New Orleans; afterwards, along the gulph-ftream of Mexico, to the place
from whence he fet off, amounting nearly to- 5000 miles, in the oblique
courle he was forced to take.

In brief, able fuperintendants of Indian affairs, and who will often vifif
the Indians, are the fafeft and ftrongeft barrier garrifons of our colonies—and
a proper number of prudent honeft traders difperfed among the favages would
be better than all die foldiers, which the colonies fupport for their defence-
againft them. The Indians are to be perfuaded by friendly language 5 but
nothing will terrify them to fubmit to what oppofes their general idea of
liberty. In the difputes between governors, fuperintendants, their depu¬
ties, and the traders, care Ihould be taken to keep them very fecret from-
the Indians,—for they love fuch traders as are governed by. principle,,
and are eafily influenced by them. Several agents of governors and fuper¬
intendants have experienced this, when difpatched into their countries to
feize either the goods or perfons of one and another trader, who was ob¬
noxious by not putting the neck under their lordly feet. Some have hardly,
efcaped from being tomohawked' and cut to pieces on the fpot by the en¬
raged Indians, for the violence offered to their friendly traders.—When an
Indian and trader contraft friendlhip, they exchange the clothes then upon
them, and afterwards they cherifh it by mutual prefents, and in general,,
will maintain it to the death. As early as 1736 the Georgia governor began
to harrafs the licenfed traders, and fent a commiffioner to feize the goods of
feveral Carolinian traders: in executing his commiffion, he was foon en¬
circled by twenty-three Indians, and would have been inftantly difpatched,.
but for the interceffion of one of the fuffering traders, Mr. J. G—r off
Tennafe. When a governor of any of our colonies,, is either weak in his.

B b b i. intelle&y.

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation.

intellefls, or has felf-interefted purfuits in view, incompatible with the pub¬
lic good, he will firft opprefs the Indian traders, and mifreprefent all under
his government who oppofe him; and then adopt and purfue the low and
tyrannical court maxim “ divide, and you will fubdue and rule them.’'
Whether the animofities that fubfifted among the inhabitants of Georgia,
when Mr. Ellis went to prefide there, fprung from any fuch caufe, I will
not fay, but I well know that by his wifdom, cheerful and even temper, and
an eafy winning behaviour, he foon reconciled the contending parties in his
gay and friendly hall.

The grateful and polite in that colony, have taught their riling families
to revere his name, on account of his generous and patriotic fpirit. He in-
ftrufted the inhabitants of that infant colony, by example, how to fortify
themfelves againft hoftile dangers. The people were few, weak, harraffed,
and ‘dilheartened : but as foon as the father and general put to his helping
hand, their drooping fpirits recovered. Then, defenfible garrifons fprung
up, after the manner of ancient Thebes •, but as he knew that peace with the
numerous nations of neighbouring Indians was effential to the welfare of a
trading colony, he adted the part of the Archimagus, or great beloved
man, with the fwan’s wing, white pipes, and tobacco, between the mif-
chievous Mufkohge and our colonies, at Savanah, in concert with the
two worthy gentlemen before-mentioned. At that time our Indian affairs
in general wore a raoft dangerous afpedt—and the public flock was ex¬
pended :—when the governor faw that he could not lhake hands with the
Indians, empty handed, he cheerfully fupplied their difcontented head-men
with his own effedls, and even his domeftic utenfils. They fet a high value
on each gift, chiefly for the fake of the giver, whom they adopted as
brother, friend, father. He gave the colony a ftrong example of public
fpirit, by facrificing his eafe, and private intereft, to the welfare of the
people ; whom he faithfully patronized (during his too Ihort flay) according
to the paternal intentions of his late Majefty. He was never ordered by his
Prince to inform the lcgiflative body of the colony, that, if the eleflors peti¬
tioned his majefty for the liberty of chufing reprefentatives, he, through his
own grace and goodnefs, wouldorderhis governor to inform them hewaspleafed
to indulge them in the objedt of their fubmiffive prayer. But had it been other-
wife, Mr. Ellis would have deemed fuch a minifterial order, a grofs attack
upon his honour, if not on the conftitutional rights of Britilh fubjefts, and
3 have

An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. ^ 7 i

have rcjefled it with contempt. When a gentleman of abilities employs his
talents, in his proper fphere, in promoting the general good of fociety (in-
ltead of forwarding only his own intereft) he is both an honour and a blel-
fing to the community: the grateful public always revere fuch a charafter,
and fail not to hand it down to the lateft pofterity, to ftimulate others to fol¬
low the example. Such was Mr. Ellis in Georgia; and fuch was the learned,
wife, polite, affable, and now much lamented Sir Henry Moore Bart, the late
governor of New-York colony. His virtues fo ftrongly endeared him to thofe
he governed, and to every one who had the pleafure of his acquaintance, that
his memory will never be forgotten. He came to his government at the molt
confufed time America ever knew. He found the fenior member of the
council ftrongly barricaded in the fort,—but prefently he ordered away the
cannon, and put a flop to other hoftile preparations. He converfed with
the people as a father. They were foon convinced of his upright inten¬
tions, and he lived triumphant in their hearts. If ftrift integrity, great
abilities, and the moft ardent defires and endeavours to promote the mu¬
tual interefts of prince and people,—if the moft impartial adminiftration
of juftice to every denomination of faithful fubjedts—if indefatigable
application to public bufinefs, and a cheerfulnefs to redrefs every grie¬
vance that had the leaft tendency to affedl the lives or property even
of the meaneft perfon: if thefe be the charafteriftics of one of the belt
of governors, our hearts feelingly teftify, and the tears of a grate¬
ful people plainly fhewed, he enjoyed them in the moft eminent degree.
His ftay, however, among them was but ftiort, for having given a finilhed
copy for others to purfue, heaven called him home to reward him for his
ihining virtues: and, though the other worthy patriot is in being, yet the
honeft fons of Georgia deeply lament his being loft to them.

GENERAL

general

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS;

DISPLAYING

Their love to their country—Their martial fpirit—Their caution
in war—Method of fighting—Barbarity to their captives—In-
ftances of their fortitude and magnanimity in the view of death
—Their rewards of public fervices—The manner of crowning
their warriors after vidory—Their games—Method of fithing,
and of building—Their utenfils and manufadures—Condud
in domeftic life—Their laws, form of government. See. See.

GENERAL

OBSERVATIONS

O N T H E

NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.

I N the following pages, the reader will find as great a variety of enter¬
tainment, as can well be expected in defcribing a rude and uncivilized
people. The Indians having for a long time no intercourfe with the reft of
the world, and feldom one nation of them with another, their rites and
cuftoms are in feveral refpefts different. But as they agree in effentials
through the whole extent of the American world, fuch agreement is ap¬
parently owing to tradition, and the ufage of their anceftors, before
they were fubdivided as at prefent. Uniformity cannot be attributed to
chance.

Through the whole continent, and in the remote!! woods, are traces of
their ancient warlike difpofition. We frequently met with great mounds of
earth, either of a circular, or oblong form, having a ftrong breaft-work at a
diftance around them, made of the clay which had been dug up in forming
the ditch, on the inner fide of the indofed ground, and thefe were their
forts of fecurity againft an enemy. Three or four of them, are in fome
places raifed fo near to each other, as evidently for the garrifon to take any
enemy that paffed between them. They were moftly built in low lands ;

378 General Obfervations on

and fome are overfpread with large trees, beyond the reach of Indian tra¬
dition. About 12 miles from the upper northern parts of the Choktah
country, there ftand on a level waft of land, the north-fide of a creek,
and within arrow-fhot of it, two oblong mounds of earth, which were old
garrifons, in an equal direftion with each other, and about two arrow-lhots
apart. A broad deep ditch inclofed thofe two fortrefles, and there they
raifed an high bread-work, to fecure their houfcs from the invading enemy.
This was a ftupendous piece of work, for fo fmall a number of favages,
as could fupport themfelves in it; their working indruments being only
of (tone and wood. They called thofe old fortrefles Name Tab , “ the
hills, or mounts of God.”

Probably, different parties, and even nations, were formed at firft, either
by caprice, differences, or the fear of punifhment for offences. The
tlemon of pcrfecution however was never among them—not an individual
durft ever prefume to infringe on another’s liberties. They are all
equal—the only precedence any gain is by fuperior virtue, oratory, or
prowefs ; and they efteem themfelves bound to live and die in defence of
their country. A warrior will accept of no hire for performing virtuous
and heroic aftions; they have exquifite pleafure in purfuing their own
natural dilates. The head-men reward the worthy with titles of ho¬
nour, according to their merit in fpeaking, or the number of enemies
fcalps they bring home. Their hearts are fully fatisfied, if they have re¬
venged crying blood, enobled themfelves by war aftions, given cheerfulnefs
to their mourning country, and fired the breads of the youth with a fpirit
of emulation to guard the beloved people from danger, and revenge the
wrongs of their country. Warriors are to proteft all, but not to moled or
injure the meaned. If they attempted it, they would pay dear for their
folly. The reafon they are more earned than the red of mankind, in
maintaining that divine law of equal freedom and judice, I apprehend, is
the notion imbibed from their (fuppofed) Hebrew ancedors of the divine
theocracy, and that inexpreffible abhorrence of flavery, which muft have
taken place after their captivity by the Aflyrians, or the Babylonians.

Every warrior holds his honour, and the love of his country, in fo high
edcem, that he prefers it to life, and will fuffer the mod exquifite tortures
3 rather

the North American Indians.

379

rather than renounce it: there is no fuel) thing among the Indians as
defertion in war, becaufe they do not fight like the Swil's for hire, but for
wreaths of fwan-feathers. If the Englifli acted on that noble principle, or
were encouraged by an able, public-fpirited miniftry, to cherilh it, Britan¬
nia need neither fue, nor pay any of the German princes for protection, or
alliances.

The equality among the Indians, and the juft rewards they always con¬
fer on merit, are the great and leading — the only motives that warm
their hearts with a ftrong and permanent love to their country. Governed
by the plain and honeft law of nature, their whole conftitution breathes
nothing but liberty : and, when there is that equality of condition, man¬
ners, and privileges, and a conftant familiarity in fociety, as prevails in
every Indian nation, and through all our Britilh colonies, there glows
fuch a chearfulnefs and warmth of courage in each of their breafts, as
cannot be deferibed. It were to be wilhed, that our military and na¬
val officers of all ranks, inftead of their ufual harffi and imperious beha¬
viour, would aft the part of mild and good-natured patrons to thofe under
them : kind, perfuafive language has an irrefiftible force, and never fails to
overcome the manly and generous heart, and love is ftrong as death. If
the governed are convinced that their fuperiors have a real affeftion for
them, they will efteem it their duty and inrereft to ferve them and take
pleafure in it. The late gallant Lord Howe, General Wolfe, and Ad¬
miral Warren, are ftill alive in the grateful hearts of the Americans, and
alfo of the foldiers and feamen, who fought under them. No fervice
was too difficult to oblige them, and they were alhamed to do any
thing amifs. If every Britilh officer fet the like example, there would be
little occafion for new mutiny afts, and other fuch like penal regulations.
We have frequent inftances in America, that merely by the power of affa¬
bility, and good-natured language, the favage Indian, drunk and foaming
with rage and madnefs, can be overcome and brought to weep. Lately,
fome came among us, inflamed and diftrafted foes; we perfuaded them of
■our conftant kindly intentions, and they repented, made atonement in re¬
gard to themfelves, and checked the mad conduft of others.

The Indians are not fond of waging war witli each other, unlefs
prompted by fome of the traders: when left to themfelves, they confider
C c c a with

380 General Obfervations on

with the greateft exaflnefs and forefight, all the attending circumftances of
war. Should any of the young warriors through forwardnefs, or pafiion,
violate the treaty of peace, the aggrefiing party ufually fend by fome neutral
Indians, a friendly embafiy to the othe^ praying them to accept of equal
retribution, and to continue their friendfhip, alluring them that the ralh
unfriendly aftion did not meet with the approbation, but was highly con¬
demned by the head-men of the whole nation. If the propofal be accepted,
the damage is made up, either by Sacrificing one of the aggreffors, of a weak
family, or by the death of fome unfortunate captive, who had been ingrafted
in a wafted tribe. If a perfon of note was killed, the offended party take im¬
mediate fatisfaflion of their own accord, and fend back the like cmbafly,
acquainting them, that as crying blood is quenched with equal blood, and
their beloved relation’s fpirit is allowed to go to reft, they are fond of con¬
tinuing the friend-knot, and keeping the chain of friendlhip clear of ruft,
according to the old beloved fpeech : but, if they are determined for war,,
they fay Mattie, Mattie, “ it is finilhed, they are weighed, and found
light.” In that cafe, they proceed in the following manner.

A war captain announces his intention of going to invade the common ene¬
my, which he, by confent of the whole nation, declares to be fuch : he then
beats a drum three times round his winter houfe, with the bloody colours,
flying, marked with large ftrokes of black,—the grand war fignal of blood
and death. On this, a fufficient number of warriors and others, com¬
monly of the family of the murdered perfon, immediately arm themfelves,
and each gets a fmall bag of parched corn-flour, for his war-ftores. They
then go to the aforefaid winter houfe, and there drink a warm decodtiorv
of their fuppofed holy confecrated herbs and roots for three days and
nights, fometimes without any other refrelhment. This is to induce
the deity to guard and profper them, amidft their impending dangers.
In the moft promifing appearance of things, they are not to take the
leaft nouriftiment of food, nor fo much as to fit down, during that time
of fanftifying themfelves, till after funfet. "While on their expedition,
they are not allowed to lean themfelves againft a tree, though they may be
exceedingly fatigued, after a fharp day’s march; nor muft they lie by, a
whole day to refrefh themfelves, or kill and barbicue deer and bear for their
war journey. The more virtuous they are, they reckon the greater will'be
their fucccfs againft the enemy, by the bountiful fmiles of the deity. To<
3 gain

the North American Indians.

38.

gain that favourite point, fome of the aged warriors narrowly watch the
young men who are newly initiated, left they fhould prove irreligious,
and prophane the holy faft, and bring misfortunes on the out-ftandin<*
camp. A gentleman of my acquaintance, in his youthful days obferved
one of their religious fafts, but under the greateft fufpicion of his virtue
in this refpeft, though he had often headed them againft the common
enemy: during their three days purification, he was not allowed to go out
of the fandlified ground, without a trufty guard, left hunger fhould have
tempted him to violate their old martial law, and by that means have
raifed the burning wrath of the holy fire againft the whole camp. Other
particulars of this facred procefs for war, have been related in their proper
place. *

When they have finilbed their faft and purifications, they fet off, at the
fixed time, be it fair or foul, firing their guns, whooping, and halloo¬
ing, as they march. The war-leader goes firft, carrying the fuppoled holy
ark : he foon ftrikes up the awful and folemn fong before mentioned, which
they never fing except on that occafion. The reft follow, in one line,
at the diftance of three or four fteps from each other, now and then found¬
ing the war whoo-whoop, to make the leader’s fong the more ftriking to the
people. In this manner they proceed, till quite out of the fight, and hear¬
ing of their friends. As foon as they enter the woods, all are filent; and,
every day they obferve a profound filence in their march, that their ears
may be quick to inform them of danger: their fmall black eyes are almolt
as fharp alfo as thofe of the eagle, or the lynx; and with their feet they re-
femble the wild cat, or the cunning panther, crawling up to its prey.
Thus they proceed, while things promife them good fuccefs-, but, if
their dreams portend any ill, they always obey the fuppofed divine
intimation and return home, without incurring the lead cenlure. Thejr
reckon that their readinefs to ferve their country, Ihould not be fublervient
to their own knowledge or wilhes, but always regulated by the divine im-
pulfe. I have known a whole company who fet out for war, to return in
fmall parties, and fometimes by fingle perfons, and be applauded by the
united voice of the people ; becaufe they afled in obedience to their Nana
IJbtoboollo , “ or guardian angels,” who impreffed them in the vifions of night,
with the friendly caution. As their dreams are reckoned ominous, fo there
is. a fmall uncommon bird, called the “ kind ill meflenger,” which they:

* Vide p. 143 &c.

always

2 General Obfervations on

always deem to be a true oracle of bad news. If it fmgs near to them,
they are much intimidated: but, if it perches, and fings over the war-
camp, they fpeedily break up. This fuperftitious cuftom prevailed with
the early heathens, who pretended to prophefy by the flight of birds, and it
reached even down to the time of the Romans.

Every war captain chufes a noted warrior, to attend on him and the
company. He is called Etiffu , or “ the waiter.” Every thing they eat or
drink during their journey, he gives them out of his hand, by a rigid ab-
ftemious rule—though each carries on his back all his travelling convenien¬
ces, wrapt in a deer fkin, yet they are fo bigoted to their religious
cuftoms in war, that none, though prompted by lharp hunger or burning
thirft, dares relieve himfelf. They are contented with fuch trifling allow¬
ance as the religious waiter diftributes to them, even with a fcanty hand.
Such a regimen would be too mortifying to any of the white people, let
their opinion of its violation be ever fo dangerous.

When I roved the woods in a war party with the Indians, though I car¬
ried no ferip, nor bottle, nor ftaff, I kept a large hollow cane well corked
at each end, and ufed to fheer off now and then to drink, while they fuf-
fered greatly by thirft. The conftancy of the favages in mortifying their
bodies, to gain the divine favour, is aftonilhing, from the very time they
beat to arms, till they return from their campaign. All the while they
are out, they are prohibited by ancient cuftom, the leaning againft a tree,
either fitting or Handing : nor are they allowed to fit in the day-time, under
the (hade of trees, if it can be avoided; nor on the ground, during the
whole journey, but on fuch rocks, ftones, or fallen wood, as their ark of
war refts upon. By the attention they invariably pay to thofe fevere rule*
of living, they weaken themfelves much more than by the unavoidable fa¬
tigues of war : but, it is fruitlefs to endeavour to difiiiade them from thofe
things which they have by tradition, as the appointed means to move
the deity, to grant them fuccefs againft the enemy, and a fafe return
home.

It may be expected I (hould deferibe the number of men their war compa¬
nies confrftof, but it is various, and uncertain : fometimes, two or three only
will go to war, proceed as cautioufly, and ftrike their prey as panthers. In

the

the North American Indians. 383

the year 1747, a couple of the Mohawk Indians came againft th: lower
towns of die Cheerake, and fo cunningly ambufcaded them through molt
part of the fpring and fummer, as to kill above twenty in different
attacks, before they were difcovered by any party of the enraged and
dejedted people. They had a thorough knowledge of the molt convenient
ground for their purpofe, and were extremely fwift and long winded—when¬
ever they killed any, and got the fcalp, they made off to the neighbouring
mountains, and ran over the broad ledges of rocks, in contrary courfes, as
occafion offered, fo as the purfuers could by no means trace them. Once,
when a large company was in chace of them, they ran round a deep hill at
the head of the main eaftern branch of Savana river, intercepted, killed,
and fcalped the hindmoft of the party, and then made off between them
and Keeowhee: as this was the town to which the company belonged,
they haftened home in a clofe body, as the proper place of fecurity from
fuch enemy wizards. In this manner, did thofe two fprightly gallant la¬
vages perplex and intimidate their foes for the fpace of four moons, in the
greateft fecurity ; though they often were forced to kill and barbicue what
they chiefly lived upon, in the midft of their watchful enemies. Having
fofiiciemiy revenged their relations’ blood, and gratified their own ambition
with an uncommon number of fealps, they refolved to captivate one, and
run home with him, as a proof of their having killed none but the ene¬
mies of their country. Accordingly, they approached very near to Keeo¬
whee, about half-a-mile below the late Fort Prince George, advancing
with the, ufual caution on fuch an occafion—one crawled along under
the beft cover of the place, about the diftance of an hundred yards a-head,
while die other fhifted from tree to tree, looking fharply every way. In
the evening, however, an old beloved man difcovered them from the top
of an adjoining hill, and knew them to be enemies, by the cut of their hair,
light trim for running, and their poftures; he returned to the town, and
caHed firft at the houfe of one of our traders, and informed him of the
affair, enjoining him not to mention it to any, left the people fliould fet
off againft them without fuccefs, before their tracks were to be difeo-
rered, and he be charged with having deceived them. But, contrary to
the true policy of traders among unforgiving favages, that thoughtlefs
member of the Choktah Sphynx-company bufied himlelf as ufual out of
his proper fphere, font for the head-men, and told them the ftory. As
the Mohawks were our allies, and not known to. moleft any of the traders

General Obfervations on

$ 5 +

in the paths and woods, he ought to have obferved a ft rift neutrality.
The youth of the town, by order of their head-men, carried on their
noil’y public diverfions in their ufual manner, to prevent their foes from
having any fufpicion of their danger, while runners were fent from the
town to their neighbours, to come filently and aflift them to fecure the
prey, in its ftate of fecurity. They came like filent ghofts, concerted their
plan of operation, pafied over the river at the old trading ford, oppofite to
the late Fort, which lay between two contiguous commanding hills, and
proceeding downward over a broad creek, formed a large femi-circle from
the river bank, while the town feemed to be taking its ufual reft. They
then clofed into a narrower compafs, and at laft difeovered the two brave
unfortunate men lying clofe under the tops of fome fallen young pine-
trees. The company gave the war fignal, and the Mohawks bounding up,
bravely repeated it: but, by their fudden fpring from under thick cover,
their arms were ufelefs; they made defperate efforts however to kill
or be killed, as their fituation required. One of the Cheerake, the
noted half breed of Iftanare town, which lay two miles from thence,
was at the firft onfet, knocked down and almoft killed with his own
cutlafs, which was wrefted from him, though he was the ftrongeft of the
whole nation. But they were overpowered by numbers, captivated, and
put to the moft exquifite tortures of fire, amidft a prodigious crowd of
exulting foes.

One of the prefent Choktah traders who was on the fpot, told me, that
when they were tied to the flake, the younger of the two difeovering our
traders on a hill pretty near, addreffed them in Englifh, and entreated them
to redeem their lives. The elder immediately fpoke to him, in his own lan¬
guage, to defift—on this, he recollefted himfelf, and became compofed like
a ftoic, mamfefting an indifference to life or death, pleafure or pain, accord¬
ing to their ftandard of martial virtue ; and their dying behaviour did not
refleft the leaft difhonour on their former gallant aftions. All the pangs of
fiery torture ferved only to refine their manly fpirits : and as it was out of the
power of the traders to redeem them, they according to our ufual cuftom
retired, as foon as the Indians began the diabolical tragedy.

The common number of an Indian war company, is only from twenty
to forty, left their tracks fliould be dilcovered by being too numerous:

but

the North American Indians.

38s

but if the warring nations are contiguous to each other, the invading party
generally chufes to out-number a common company, that they may ftrike
the blow with greater fafety and fuccefs, as their art of war is chiefly kil¬
ling by furprife; confident that in cafe of a difappointment, their light
heels will enfure their return to their own country. When a fmall
company go to war, they always chufe to have a fwamp along fide of
them, with a thick covert for their fhelter, becaufe a fuperior num¬
ber will fcarcely purfue them where they might reafonably expeft to
lofe any of their warriors. When they arrive at the enemies hunting
ground, they aft with the greated caution and policy. They feparate them-
felves, as far as each can hear the other’s travelling fignal, which is the
mimicking fuch birds and beads as frequent the fpot. And they can ex-
aftly imitate the voice and found of every quadruped and wild fowl
through the American woods. In this way of travelling, they ufually keep
an hundred yards apart on the courfe agreed upon at camp. When the
leader thinks it the fured way of fucceeding againd the enemy, he fends
a few of the bed runners to form an ambufcade near their towns: there, they
fometimes fix the broad hoofs of buffalos, and bear’s paws upon their feet, to
delude the enemy: and they will for miles together, make all the windings
of thefe beads with the greated art. But, as both parties arc extremely
wary and fagacious, I have known fuch arts to prove fatal to the delu-
ders. At other times, a numerous company will walk in three different
rows, by way of a decoy, every one lifting his feet fo high, as not to beat
down the grafs or herbage-, and each row will make only one man’s
track, by taking the deps of him who went before, and a gigantic fellow
takes the rear of each rank, and thereby fmooths the tracks with his feet.
When they are convinced the enemy is in purfuit of them, at fo conGderable
a didance from the country, as for themfelves not to be over-powered by
numbers, they pod themfelves in the mod convenient place, in the form of an
half-moon, and patiently wait a whole day and night, till the enemy
runs into it; and in fuch a cafe, the vidtory at one broad-fide is ufually
gained.

When they difcover the tracks of enemies m their hunting ground,
or in the remote woods, it is furprifing to fee the caution and art they
ufe, both to fecure themfelves, and take advantage of the enemy.
If a fmall company be out at war, they in the day time crawl through
D d d thickets

j86 General Obfewatiens on

thickets and fwamps in the manner of wolves—now and then they climb
trees, and run to the top of hills, to difcover the fmoke of fire, or hear the
report of guns : and when they crofs. through the open woods, one of them
ftands behind a. tree, till the reft advance about a hundred.yards, looking out
fharply on, all quarters. In this manner, they will proceed, and on tiptoe,
peeping every where around ; they love to walk on- trees which have been,
blown down, and take an oblique courfe, till they infwamp themfelves
again, in order to conceal their tracks, and avoid a.purfuit. As we can gain
nothing by blows, with fuch warriors, it is certainly our intereft,,as a trading,
people, to ufe proper meafures to conciliate their, affections ; for whether we
are conquerors, or conquered, we are always great lofers in an Indian war.

When the invaders extend themfelves,crofs the woods, in queft of their
Jirey, if they make a plain difcovery, either of frefh tracks,, or of the
enemy, they immediately pafs the war-fignal to each other, and draw
their wings toward the centre. If the former* they give chace, and com¬
monly by their wild-cat-method of crawling, they furround, and furprife
the purfued, if unguarded—however, I have known them to fail in fuch
attempts ; for the Indians generally are fo extremely cautious, that if three
of them are in the woods, their firft objeft is a proper place for defence,.
and they always fit down in a triangle, to prevent a furprife. When enemies
difcover one another, and find they can take no advantage, they make them¬
felves known to each other; and by way of infulting bravado, they fpeak aloud
all the barbarities they ever committed againft themthat they are now,.
to vindicate thofe a&ions, and make the wound for ever incurable; that
they are their moft bitter enemies, and equally contemn their friendfhip.
and enmity. In the mean while, they throw down their packs, ftrip them¬
felves naked, and paint their faces and breafts red as blood, intermingled
with black. Breaks. Every one at the fignal of the fhrill-founding war-cry,
inftantly covers himfelf behind a tree,.or in feme cavity of the ground where
it admits of the beft fafety. The leader, on each fide, immediately blows
the fmall whittle he, carries for the occafion, in imitation of the ancient
trumpet, as the laft fignal of engagement. Now hot work., begins —
The guns are firing; the chewed bullets flying •, the ftrong hiccory bows
a twanging; the dangerous barbed arrows whizzing as they fly ; the furc-
fljafted javelin ftriking death wherever it reaches ; and the well-aimed to-
mohawk killing, or difabliog its enemy. Nothing fcarcely can be heard

for

the North American Indians.

387

for the fhrill echoing noife of the war and death-whoop, every one fu-
rioufly purfues his adverfary from tree to tree, driving to incircle him
for his prey •, and the greedy jaws of pale death are open on all fides, to
fwallow them up. One dying foe is intangled in the hateful and fal¬
tering arms of another: and each party defperately attempts both to fave
their dead and wounded from being fcalped, and to gain the fcalps of
their opponents. On this the battle commences anew—But rath attempts
fail, as their wary fpirits always forbid them from entering into a gene¬
ral clofe engagement. Now they retreat: then they draw up into various
figures, dill having their dead and wounded under their eye. Now they
are fiat on the ground loading their pieces—then they are up firing behind
trees, and immediately fpring off in an oblique courfe to recruit—and thus
they aft till winged viftory declares it(elf.

The vanquilhed party makes for a fwampy thicket, as their only afy-
lum : but fliould any of them be either unarmed, or flightly wounded,
the fpeedy purfuers captivate them, and ufually referve them for a worfe
death than that of the bullet. On returning to the place of battle, the
viftors begin, with mad rapture, to cut and flalh thofe unfortunate perfons,
who fell by their arms and power •, and they difmember them, after a mod
inhuman manner. If the battle be gained near home, one hero cuts oft' and
carries this member of die dead perfon, another that, as joyful trophies of a
decifive viftory. If a dranger faw them thus loaded with human flelh, with¬
out proper information, he might conclude them to be voracious canibals,
according to the fhameful accounts of our Spanilh hidorians. Their fird
aim however is to take off the fcalp, when they perceive the enemy hath
a proper fituation, and drength to make a dangerous refidance. Each
of them is fo emulous of exceeding another in this point of honour, that
it frequently dops them in their purfuit.

This honourable fervice is thus performed—They feize the head of: the
difabled, or dead perfon, and placing one of their feet on the neck,
they with one hand twided in the hair, extend it as far as they can-—
with the other hand, the barbarous artids fpeedily draw their long fiiarp-
pointed fcalping knife out of a (heath from their bread, give a flalh round
the top of the (kull, and wich a few dexterous fcoops, foon drip it off.

Ddd t They

General ObfervAtions on

They are fo expeditious as to take off a fcalp in two minutes. When
they have performed this part of their martial virtue, as foon as time per-
mits, they tie with bark or deer’s finews, their fpeaking trophies of blood in
a fmall hoop, to preferve it from putrefa&ion, and paint the interior part
of the fcalp, and the hoop, all round with red, their flourilhing emblematical
colour of blood.

They are now fatiated for the prefent, and return home. Tradition,
or the native divine impreffion on human nature, diflates to them
that man was not born in a ftate of war; and as they reckon they are
become impure by Ihedding human blood, they haften to obferve the faft
of three days, as formerly mentioned, and be fan&ified by the war-chief¬
tain, as a pried of war, according to law. While they are thus impure,
though they had a fair opportunity of annoying the common enemy
again, yet on this account they commonly decline it, and are applauded
for their religious conduit, by all their countrymen. Indeed, formerly,
when the whole combined power of the French, and their Indians,
was bent againd the warlike Chikkafah, I have known the lad fometimes
to hazard their martial virtue and fuccefs, and to fight three or four com¬
panies of French Indians, before they returned home; but the leaders
cxcufed themfelves, by the neceflity of felf-defence. They have no fuch
phrafe as the “ fortune of war.” They reckon the leader’s impurity to
be the chief occafion of bad fuccefs; and if he lofe feveral of his war¬
riors by the enemy, his life is either in danger for the fuppofed fault, or he
is degraded, by taking from him his drum, war-whidle, and martial titles,
and debaling him to his boy’s name, from which he is to rife by a frefh
gradation. This penal law contributes, in a good meafure, to make them
fo exceedingly cautious and averfe to bold attempts in war, and they are
ufually fatisfied with two or three fcalps and a pril'oner.

It has been long too feelingly known, that indead of obfcrving the ge¬
nerous and hofpitable part of the laws of war, and faving the unfortunate
who fall into their power, that they generally devote their captives to death,
with the mod agonizing tortures. No reprefentation can poflibly be
given, fo Ihocking to humanity, as their unmerciful method of tormenting
their devoted prifoner; and as it is fo contrary to the dandard of the red of
5 the

the North American Indians.

3 8 ?

the known world, 1 (hall relate the circumftances, fo far as to convey proper
information thereof to the reader. When the company return from war,
and come in view of their own town, they follow the leader one by one, in
a direft line, each a few yards behind the other, to magnify their triumph.
If they have not fucceeded, or any of their warriors are loft, they return quite
filent -, but if they are all fafe, and have fucceeded, they fire off the Indian
platoon, by one, two, and three at a time, whooping and infulting their
prifoners. They camp near their town all night, in a large fquare plot of
ground, marked for the purpofe, with a high war-pole fixed in the middle of
it, to which they fecure their prifoners. Next day they go to the leader’s houfe
in a very folemn proceflion, but ftay without, round his red-painted war-
pole, till they have determined concerning the fate of their prifoners. If any
one of the captives (hould be fortunate enough to get loofe, and run into the
houfe of the archi-magus, or to a town of refuge, he by ancient cuftom, is
faved from the fiery torture—thefe places being a fure afylum to them if
they were invaded, and taken, but not to invaders, becaufe they came to
flied blood.

Thofe captives who are pretty far advanced in life, as well as in war-gra¬
dations, always atone for the blood they fpilt, by the tortures of fire.—
They readily know the latter, by the blue marks over their breads and
arms •, they being as legible as our alphabetical charatters are to us. Their
ink is made of the foot of pitch-pine, which fticks to the infide of a
greafed earthen pot; then delineating the parts, like the ancient Pitts of
Britain, with their wild hieroglyphics, they break through the fkin with
gair-fifti-teeth, and rub over them that dark compofition, to regifter them
among the brave •, and the impreffion is lading. I have been told by the
Chikkafah, that they formerly crazed any falfe marks their warriors proudly
and privately gave themfelves—in order to engage them to give real proofs
of their martial virtue, being furrounded by the French and their red allies - r
and that they degraded them in a public manner, by ftretching the marked
parts, and rubbing them with the juice of green corn, which in a great
degree took out the impreffion.

The young prifoners are faved, if not devoted while the company were
fanttifying themfelves for their expedition; but if the latter be the cafe,

they

-390 Genera! Obfervations on

they are condemned, and tied to the dreadful ftake, one at a time. The
' viftors firft drip their miferable captives quite naked, and put on
their feet a pair of bear-fkin maccafeenes, with the black hairy pare
outwards •, others fatten with a grape-vine, a burning fire-brand to the pole,
a little above the reach of their heads. Then they know their doom—deep
-black, and burning fire, are fixed feals of their death-warrant. Their punifh-
ment is always left to the women ; and on account of their falfe ftandard of
education, they are no way backward in their office, but perform it to the
entire farisfaftion of the greedy eyes of the fpeflators. Each of them pre¬
pares for the dreadful rejoicing, a long bundle of dry canes, or the heart of
fat pitch-pine, and as the viftims are led to the ftake, the women and their
young ones beat them with thefe an a mod barbarous manner. Happy
would it be for the miferable creatures, if their fufferings ended here, or a
merciful tomohawk finilhed them at one ftroke; but this lhameful treat¬
ment is a prelude to future fufferings.

The death-fignal being given, preparations are made for a fling a more
tragical part. The victims arms are fall pinioned, and a ftrong grape-vine
is tied round his neck, to the top of the war-pole, allowing him to track
around, about fifteen yards. They fix feme tough clay on his head, to fe-
cure the fcalp from the blazing torches. Unfpeakable pleafure now fills
the exulting crowd of fpeflators, and the circle fills with the Amazon and
mercilefs executioners—The fuffering warrior however is njt difmayed;
with an infulting manly voice he fings the war-fong! and with gallant con¬
tempt he tramples the rattling gourd with pebbles in it to pieces, and
outbraves even death itfelf. The women make a furious on-fet with their
burning torches : his pain is foon fo excruciating, that he rufhes out from
the pole, with the fury of the molt favage bead of prey, and with the vine
fweeps down all before him, kicking, biting, and trampling them, with
the greateft defpite. The circle immediately fills again, either with the
fame, or frefh perfons : they attack him on every fide—now he runs to the
pole for (helter, but the flames purfue him. Then with champing teeth,
and fparkling eye-balls, he breaks through their contrafted circle afrelh,
and adls every part, that the higheft courage, moft raging fury, and blackeft
•defpair can prompt him to. But he is fure to be over-power’d by numbers,
and alter fome time the fire affefts his tender parts.—Then they pour
over him a quantity of cold water, and allow him a proper time of refpite,
7 till

tht- North American Indians.

39i

rill his fpirits recover, and he is capable of fuffering new tortures. Then
the like cruelties are repeated till he falls down, and happily becomes in-
fenfible of pain. Now they lcalp him, in the manner before deferibed :
difmember, and carry off all the exterior branches of. the body, (pudendis-
non exccptis) in (hamefdl, and favage triumph. This is the molt favour¬
able treatment their devoted captives receive: it would be too fhocking
to humanity either to give, or perufe, every particular of their conduit
in fuch doleful tragedies—nothing can equal thefe feenes, but thole of the
merciful Romiih inquifition.

Not a foul, of whatever age or fex, manifefts the lead pity during the
prifoner’s tortures: the women fing with religious joy, all the while they
are torturing the devoted vidtim, and peals of laughter refound through
the crowded theatre—efpecially if he fears to die. But a warrior puts on
a bold auftere countenance, and carries it through all his pains:—as long
as he can,, he whoops and out-braves the enemy, deferibing his own martial
deeds againft them, and thole of his nation, who he threatens will force
many of them to eat fire in revenge of his fate, as he himfelf had often.
done to l'orne of their relations at their cod.

Though the fame things operate alike upon the organs of the human
body, and produce an uniformity of fenfationsj yet weaknefs, or condancy
of mind derived from habit, helps in a great meafure, either to heighten,

• or leffen the fenfe of pain. By this, the affiiited party has learned to difle
nature, and (hew an outward unconcern, under fuch (low and acute tor¬
tures: and the furprifing cruelty of their women, is equally owing to
education and cudom. Similar indances verify this, as in Liibon, and other
places, where tender-hearted ladies are transformed by their bloody priefts,
into fo many Medeas, through deluded religious principles s and fit
and fee with the highed joy, the martyrs of God, drawn along in dia¬
bolical triumph to the fiery ftake, and fuffering death with lingering tor-

I cannot forbear giving, another indance or two here of the condancy,
v-ifible unconcern, and pvefence of mind, of the Indians, at the approach
of death, in its mod alarming drels anti terrors.

About

3^2 general Obfervations on

About four years before the Shawano Indians were forced to remove
from the late Savanah town, they took a Mulkohge warrior, known by the
name of “ Old Scrany-,” they baftinadoed him in the ufual manner, and
condemned him to the fiery torture. He underwent a great deal, without
Ihewing any concern •, his countenance and behaviour were as if he fuffered
not the leaft pain, and was formed beyond the common laws of nature.
He told them, with a bold voice, that he was a very noted warrior, and
gained molt of bis martial preferment at the expence of their nation, and
was defirous of Ihewing them in the aft of dying, that he was Hill as
much their fuperior, as when he headed his gallant countrymen againft
them.—That although he had fallen into their hands, in forfeiting the
proteftion of the divine power, by fome impurity or other, when car¬
rying the holy ark of war againft his devoted enemies ; yet he had ftill fo
■much remaining virtue, as would enable him to punilh himfelf more ex-
quifitely than all their defpicable ignorant crowd could poffibly do, if they
gave him liberty by untying him,'and would hand to him one of the red hot
gun-barrels out of the fire. The propofal, and his method of addrefs, ap¬
peared fo exceedingly bold and uncommon, that his requeft was granted.
Then he fuddenly feized one end of the red barrel, and brandilhing it from
fide to fide, he forced his way through the armed and furprifed multitude,
and leaped down a prodigious fteep and high bank into a branch of the
river, dived through it, ran over a fmall ifland, and palled the other branch,
amidft a Ihower of bullets from the commanding ground where Fort-Moore,
or New Windfor-garrifon Rood ; and though numbers of his eager enemies
were in clofe purfuit of him, he got to a bramble fwamp, and in that naked,
mangled condition, reached his own country. He proved a lharp thorn in
their fide afterwards to the day of his death.

The Shawano alfo captivated a warrior of the Anantooeah, and put him
to the Hake, according to their ufual cruel folemnities. Having uncon¬
cernedly fuffered much lharp torture, he told them with fcorn, they did
not know how to punilh a noted enemy, therefore he was willing to teach
them, and would confirm the truth of his aflertion, if they allowed him
the opportunity. Accordingly he requefted of them a pipe and fome to¬
bacco, which was given him : as foon as he lighted it, he fat down,
naked as he was, on the women’s burning torches, that were within his
circle, and continued fmoking his pipe without the lead difcompofure—on

this

the North American Indians.

393

this a head-warrior leaped up, and faid, they had feen plain enough, that
he was a warrior, and not afraid of dying ; nor lhould he have died, only
that he was both fpoiled by the fire, and devoted to it by their laws : how¬
ever, though he was a very dangerous enemy, and his nation a treache¬
rous people, it (hould appear they paid a regard to bravery, even in
one, who was marked over the body with war ftreaks, at the coft of

many lives of their beloved kindred. And then by way of favour, he,

with his friendly tomohawk, inftantly put an end to all his pains :—though
the merciful but bloody inftrument was ready fome minutes before it gave
the blow, yet I was allured, the fpedlators could not perceive the fufferer
to change, either his pofture, or his Heady erect countenance, in the
lealt.

A party of the Senekah Indians came to war againft the Katahba, bitter
enemies to each other. In the woods, the former difcovered a fprightly
warrior belonging to the latter, hunting in their ufual light drefs ; on his
perceiving them, he fprung off for a hollow rock, four or five miles
diftant, as they intercepted him from running homeward. He was fo

extremely fwift, and fkilful with the gun, as to kill feven of them in

the running fight, before they were able to furround and take him. They
carried him to their country in fad triumph: but, though he had filled
them with uncommon grief and lhame, for the lofs of fo many of their
kindred, yet the love of martial virtue induced them to treat him, during
their long journey, with a great deal more civility, than if he had afted
the part of a coward. The women and children, when they met him at their
feveral towns, beat and whipped him in as ievere a manner as the occafion
required, according to their law of juftiee, and at laft he was formally con¬
demned to die by the fiery tortures. It might reafonably be imagined that
what he had for fome time gone through, by being fed with a fcanty
hand, a tedious march, lying at night on the bare ground, expofed
to the changes of the weather, with his arms and legs extended in a
pair of rough ftocks, and fuffering fuch punilhments on his entering into
their hoftile towns, as a prelude to thofe (harp torments for which he
was dellined, would have fo impaired his health, and affefled his imagina¬
tion, as to have fent him to his long fleep out of the way of any more fuf-
ferings. Probably, this would have been the cafe with the major .part of
white people, under fimilar circumftances but I never knew this with any
E e e of

394 General O&fervations on

of the Indians: and this cool-headed brave warrior did not deviate from,
their rough leflons of martial virtue, but .idled his part fb well, as to fur-
prife and forely vex his numerous enemies. For, when they were taking
him unpinioned, in their wild parade, to the place of torture; which
lay near to a river, he fuddenly dallied down thofe who Hood 1 in his
way, fprung off, and plunged into the water, fwimming underneath like
an otter, only rifing to take breath till he made the oppofite fliore. He
now afcended the deep bank ; but though he had good reafon to be in a
hurry, as many of the enemy were in the water, and others running
every way, like blood-hounds, in purfuit of him, and the bullets flying
around him, from the time he took to the river, yet his heart did noc
allow him to leave them abruptly, without taking leave in a formal
manner, in return for the extraordinary favours they had done, and in¬
tended to do him. He firlt turned' his backfide toward them, and flapped
it with his hand; then moving round, he put up the flirill war whoo whoop;
as his laft falute, till fome more convenient opportunity offered, and darted
off in the manner of a beaflr broke loofe from its torturing enemies. He
continued his fpeed fo as to run by about midnight of the fame day, as far
as his eager purfuers were two days in reaching. There he refted, till he
happily difcovered five of thofe Indians, who had purfued him—he lay hid
a little way off their camp, till they were found afleep. Every circumftance
of his fuuacion occurred to him, and infpired him with heroifm. He was
naked, torn, and hungry, and- his enraged enemies were come up with
him. But there was now every thing to relieve his wants, and a fair
opportunity to fave his life, and get great honour, and fweet revenge, by
cutting them off. Refolution, a convenient fpor, and fudden furprize;
would effeft the main objeft of all his withes and hopes. He accord¬
ingly creepcd towards them, took one of their tomohawks,. and killed them
all on the fpot. He then chopped them to pieces, in as horrid a manner,
as favage fury could excite, both through national and perfonal- refent-
ment,—he dripped off their fcalps, clothed himfelf, took a choice gun, and
as much ammunition and provifions as he could well carry in a running
march. He fet off afrefti with a- light heart, and did not deep for feveral
fucceflive nights, only when he reclined as ufual a little before day, with his
back to a tree. As it were by inflinft, when he found he was free from
the purfuing enemy, he made direftly to the very place where he had
killed feven of his enemies, and was taken- by them for the fiery torture.

He

the North American Indians.

395

He digged them up, fcalped them, burned their bodies to allies, and went
home in fafety with fingular triumph. Other purfuing enemies came
on the evening of the fecond day to the camp of their dead people,
when the fight gave them a greater fhock, than they had ever known be¬
fore. In their chilled war council, they concluded, that, as he had done
fuch furprifing things in his defence, before he was captivated, and fince
that, in his naked condition, and was now well armed, if they continued
the purfuit, he would fpoil them all, for he furely was an enemy wizard.
And therefore they returned home.

When the Chikkafah were engaged in a former war with the Mulkohge,
one of their young warriors fet off alone againlt them, to revenge the blood
of a near relation : his burning heart would not allow him to delay its gratifica¬
tion, and proceed with a company, after their ufual forms of purification were
obferved, in order to gain fuccefs. He was replete with martial fire, and re¬
venge prompted him to outrun his war virtue : however, hepurfuedas mor¬
tifying a regimen, as if he had been publicly fed like a dove, by the fcanty
hand of a religious waiter. But, as he would not wait a few days, and accom¬
pany the reputed holy ark, they reckoned him irreligious, by depending on
the power of his own arms, inilead of the powerful arm of the fupreme fa¬
therly chieftain. To He JVab, who always bellows viflory on the more virtu¬
ous party. He went through the moll unfrequented and thick parts of the
woods, as fuch a dangerous enterprife required, till he arrived oppofite to
the great, and old beloved town of refuge, Koofah, which Hands high on
the ealtern fide of a bold river, about 250 yards broad, that runs by the
late dangerous Alebahma fort, down to the black poifoning Mobille, and
fo into the gulph of Mexico. There he concealed himfelf under cover
of the top of a fallen pine tree, in view of the ford of the old trading path,
where the enemy now and then palled the river in their light poplar canoes.
All his war (lore of provifions confided in three (lands of barbicued venifon,
till he had an opportunity to revenge blood, and return home. He waited,
with watchfulnefs and patience almoll three days, when a young man, a
woman, and a girl palled a little wide of him, about an hour before fun-
-4et. The former he Ihot down, tomohawked the other two, and fcalped
each of them in a trice, in full view of the town. By way of bravado,
he lhaked the fcalps before them, founded the awful death whoop, and
E e e 2 fet

396 General Gbjervations on

fet off along the trading path, trading to his heels, while a great many
of the enemy ran to their arms, and gave chace. Seven miles from
thence, he entered the great blue ridge of Apalahche mountains. About
an hour before day, he had ran over feventy miles of that mountainous
trad then, after fleeping two hours in a fitting pofture, leaning his back
againft a tree, he fet off again with frelh fpeed. As he threw away his
venifon, when he found himfelf purfued by the enemy, he was obliged to
fupport nature with fuch herbs, roots, and nuts, as his fharp eyes with a
running glance, direfted him to fnatch up in his courfe. Though I often
have rode that war path alone, when delay might have proved dangerous,
and with as fine and ftrong horfes as any in America, it took me five days
to ride from the aforelaid Koolah, to this fprightly warrior’s place in the
Chikkafah country, the diftance of 300 computed miles •, yet he ran it,
and got home fafe and well, at about eleven o’clock of the third day j
which was only one day and half, and two nights.

Thefe two well known inftances of the young Katahba, and this Cbik-
kafeh warrior, evince the furprifing and fuperior abilities of the Indians in
•their own element. And the intrepid behaviour of the two other red ftoics,
their furprifing contempt of, and indifference to life or death, inftead of
leffening, helps to confirm our belief of that fupernatural power, which
'fupported the great number of primitive martyrs, who fealed the chriftian
“faith with their blood. The Indians, as I obferved in the former part,
'have as much belief, and expectation of a future ftate, as the greater part df
the Ifraclites feem to have poffelftd. But the chriftians of the firft centu¬
ries, may juftly be faid to exceed even the molt heroic American Indians
for they bore the bittereft perfecution, with fteady patience, in imitation of
-their divine leader, Mefliah, in full confidence of divine fupport, and of a
•glorious recompence of reward •, and, inftead of even wilhing for revenge
•on their cruel enemies and malicious tormentors (which is the chief prin-
-ciple that actuates the Indians) they not only forgave them, but in the
midft of their tortures, earneftly prayed for them, with compofed counte¬
nances, fincere love, and unabated fervor. And not only men of different
conditions, but the delicate women and children fuffered with conftancy,
and died praying for their tormentors: the Indian women and children,
and their young men Untrained to war, are incapable of difplaying the like
patience and magnanimity.

When

the North American Indians. 397

When the Indians have finilhed their captive tragedies, they return to
the neighbouring town in triumph, with the wild fhrieking noife of de-
ftroying demons: there, they cut the fcalps into feveral pieces, fix them
on different twigs of the green leaved pine, and place them on the tops of
the circular winter houfes of their deceafed relations—whofe deaths (if by
the hand of an enemy) they efteem not revenged till then, and thus their
ghoffs are enabled to go to their intermediate, but unknown place of reft,
till, after a certain time, they return again to live for ever in that traft of
land which pleafed them belt, when in their former ftate. They perform this
fuppofed religious duty with great folemnity, attended by a long train
of rejoicing women, chanting with foft voices, their grateful fong of
triumph to To He kTab ; while the favoured warriors echo their praifes of
the giver of viftory, with awful notes, and intermix with them the death
whoo-whoop. They dance for three days and nights, rejoicing before the
divine prefence, for their viftory ; and the happinefs of lending the fpirits
of their killed relations from the eaves of their houfes which they haunted,
mourning with fuch painful notes as Koo-Koo-Koo, like the fuffering owls of
night in pinching winter, according to their creed. In their dance, they
reprefent all the wild-cat movements they made in crawling to furprife the
enemy, and their wolfilh conduft in killing with fafety; or the whole en¬
gagement, when they could no way attack by furprile. Now, they lift up
one foot, then put it down llowly on tip-toe in a bent pofture, looking
lharply every way. Thus, they proceed from tree to tree, till the fuppofed
enemy be either defeated by ftratagem, or open battle. Then they ftrut
about in parade, and the chief will tell the people he did not behave like
a blind white man, who would have rulhed on with his eyes fhut, impro¬
vident of danger ; but having wifely confidered that his bare bread was not
bullet proof, he cunningly covered himfelf from tree to tree, and by his
fkilful conduft vanquifhed the hateful enemy, without expofing his own
valuable life to danger. All people praife, or blame another’s conduft, in
proportion to the parity or difparity it bears to their own ftandard, and no¬
tion of virtue.

In the time of their rejoicings, they fix a certain day for the warriors to
be crowned ; for they cannot Deep found or eafy, under an old title, while
anew, or higher one is due. On that long-wifhed for day, they all appear
on the field of parade, as fine and cheerful as the birds in fpring. Their mar-

398 Central Olfervat ions on

tial drums beat, their bloody colours are difplayed, and moft of the young
people are dancing and rejoicing, for the prefent fuccefs of their na¬
tion, and the fafe return and preferment of their friends and relations.
Every expeftant warrior on that joyful day wears deer-fkin maccafeenes,
painted red, his body is anointed with bear’s oil, a young foftened otter-
ikin is tied on each leg, a long collar of fine fwan feathers hangs round his
neck, and his face is painted with the various ftreaks of the rain-bow.
Thus they appear, when two of the old magi come forth holding as many
white wands and crowns, as there are warriors to be graduated : and in
a Handing pofture, they alternately deliver a long oration, with great vehe¬
mence of expreflion, chiefly commending their drift obfervance of the law
of purity, while they accompanied the beloved ark of war, which induced
the fupreme chieftain to give them the viftory, and they encourage the reft
to continue to thirft after glory, in imitation of their brave anceftors, who
died nobly in defence of their country. At the conclufion of their orations,
one of the magi calls three times with a loud voice, one of the warriors by
his new name, or war title, and holds up the white crown, and the fcep-
ter, or wand. He then gladly anfwers, and runs whooping to, and
around them, three times. One of the old beloved men puts the crown on
his head, and the wand into his hand •, then he returns to his former place,
whooping with joy. In like manner, they proceed with the reft of the gra¬
duate warriors, to the end of their triumphal ceremony, concluding with
this ftrong caution, “ Remember what you are (fuch a warrior, mentioning
his titles) according to the old beloved fpeech.” This is equal to the bold
virtuous leflons of the honeft Romans, and uncorrupted Greeks. The
concluding caution of the magi to the warriors, points at the different
duties of their honourable ftation, that they fhould always afpire after mar¬
tial glory, and prefer their own virtue, and the welfare of their country,
more than life itfelf. The crown is wrought round with the long feathers
of a fwan, at the lower end, where it furrounds his temples, and it is cu-
rioufly weaved with a quantity of white down, to make it fit eafy, and ap¬
pear more beautiful. To this part that wreathes his brows, the ikilful
artift warps clofe together, a ringlet of the longeft feathers of the fwan,
and turning them carefully upward, in an uniform pofition, he, in the ex-
afteft manner, ties them together with deer’s finews, fo as the bandage will
jiot appear to the iharpeft eyes without handling it. It is a little open at
the top, and about fifteen inches high. The crowns they ufe in confti-
5 tuting

tie North American Indians.

399

toting war-leaders, are always worked with feathers of the tail of the che¬
rubic eagle, which caufes them to be three or four inches higher than the
former. This latter cuftom bears a ftriking refemblance to the ufage of
the ancients on fimil'ar occafions, according to the conftitution of their dif¬
ferent forms of government.

They are exceedingly pointed againft our methods of war, and con¬
ferring of titles. By the furprifing conduit of a Georgia governor, both
the Mufkohge and Cheerake, who attended our army in the war be*
fore the laft, againft St. Auguftine, have entertained, and will continue
to have the meaneft opinion of the-Carolina martial difpofition, till by fome
notable brave aftions, it wears off. The Indians concluded that there
was treachery in our letting prifoners of diftinition return to the fort
to put the reft on their guard, and in our Ihutting up the batteries
for four or five days fucceffively, not having our cannon difmounted, nor an¬
noying the enemy, but having flags of truce frequently palling and repaf-
fing. They laid, that it was plain to their eyes, we only managed a lhatn
fight with the Spaniards—and they became very uneafy, and held many
conferences about our friendly intercourfe with the garrifon ; concluding that
we had decoyed them- down to be flaughtered, or deliveredto the Spaniard
topurchafe a firm peace for ourfelves—and they no fooner reached their own
countries, than they reported the whole affair in black colours, that we al¬
lured them to a far-diftant place, where we gave them only a fmall quan¬
tity of bad food •, and that they were obliged to drink faltilh water, which,
inftead of allaying, inflamed their third, while we were caroufing with
various liquors, and Ihaking hands with the Spaniard, and fending the
white beloved fpeech to one another, by beat of drum* although we
had the affurance to affirm that we held fall the bloody tomohawk.
The minuteft circumftance was fo ftrongly reprefented, that both nations,
were on the very point of commencing war againft us. But the “ Raven”
of Euwafe, a leading head warrior of the Cheerake, was confined in Au-
gufta garrifon, till he fenc up runners to flop a war, that his fpieches
and meffages had nearly fomented—his life was threatened’ on failure, and.
he had large promifes given, if he complied and fucceeded.

The Indians are much addifted to gaming, and-will often flake every
thing they poffefs. Ball-playing is their chief and moft favourite game
and is filch fevere exercife, as to Ihew it was originally calculated for a.

400 General Obfervations on

hardy and expert race of people, like themfelves, and the ancient Spartans.
The ball is made of a piece of feraped deer-fkin, moiftened, and ftuffed hard
with deer’s hair, and ftrongly fewed with deer’s Cnews.—The ball-dicks are
about two feet long, the lower end fomewhat refembling the palm of a
hand, and which are worked with deer-lkin thongs. Between thefe, they
catch the ball, and throw it a great diftance, when not prevented by fome of
the oppofite party, who fly to intercept them. The goal is about five
hundred yards in length : at each end of it, they fix two long bending poles
into the ground, three yards apart below, but flaming a confiderable
way outwards. The party that happens to throw the ball over thefe,
counts one ; but, if it be thrown underneath, it is caft back, and played
for as ufual. The gamefters are equal in number on each fide; and,
at the beginning of every courfe of the ball, they throw it up high in the
center of the ground, and in a direft line between the two goals. When
the crowd of players prevents the one who catched the ball, from throwing
it off with a long direftion, he commonly fends it the right courfe, by
an artful (harp twirl. They are fo exceedingly expert in this manly
exercife, that, between the goals, the ball is moftly flying the differ¬
ent ways, by the force of the playing flicks, without falling to the ground,
for they are not allowed to catch it with their hands. It is furprifing
to fee how fwiftly they fly, when clofely chafed by a nimble footed
purfuer; when they are intercepted by one of the oppofite party, his
fear of being cut by the ball flicks, commonly gives them an opportunity of
throwing it perhaps a hundred yards; but the antagonift fometimes runs up
behind, and by a fudden ftroke dalhes down the ball. It is a very unufual
thing to fee them aft fpitefully in any fort of game, not even in this fevere
and tempting exercife.

Once, indeed, I faw fome break the legs and arms of their opponents, by
hurling them down, when on a defeent, and running at full (peed. But
I afterward underftood, there was a family difpute of long continuance
between them: that might have raifed their fpleen, as much as the high
bets they had then at flake, which was almoft all they were worth. The
Choktah are exceedingly addifted to gaming, and frequently on the
flighted: and moft hazardous occafions, will lay their all, and as much as
their credit can procure.

By

tbi North American Indians.

401

By education, precept, and cuftom, as well as ftrong example, they have
learned to (hew an external acquiefcence in every thing that befalls them,
either as to life or death. By this means, they reckon it a fcandal to the
charatter of a ftcady warrior to let his temper be ruffled by any accidents,—
their virtue they fay, (hould prevent it. Their conduit is equal to their
belief of the power of thofe principles: previous to this (harp exercife
of ball playing, notwithftanding the irreligion of the Choktah in other
refpefts, they will ftipplicate To He Wab , to blefs them with fuccefs. To
move the deity to enable them to conquer the party they are to play againft,
they mortify themfelves in a furprifing manner; and, except a fmall
intermiffion, their female relations dance out of doors all the preceding
night, chanting religious notes with their (hrill voices, to move To He
Wah to be favourable to their kindred .party on the morrow. The men
fad and wake from funfet, till the bail play is over the next day, which
is about one or two o’clock in the afternoon. During the whole night,
they are to forbear deeping under the penalty of reproaches and lhame;
which would fit very (harp upon them, if their party chanced to
lofe the game, as it would be aferibed to that unmanly and vicious
condutfh They turn out to the ball ground, in a long row, painted
white, whooping, as if Pluto’s prifoners were all broke loofe: when that en •
thufiaftic emotion is over, the leader of the company begins a religious in¬
vocation, by faying Tab, diort; then To long, which the reft of the train
repeat with a (hort accent, and on a low key like the leader: and thus
they proceed with fuch acclamations and invocations, as have been al¬
ready noticed, on other occafions. Each party are defirous to gain the
twentieth ball, which they efteem a favourite divine gift. As it is in the
time of laying by the corn, in the very heat of fummer, they ufe this fe-
vere exercife, a ftranger would wonder to fee them hold it fo long at full
fpeed, and under the fcorching fun, hungry alfo, and faint with the excef-
live ufe of fuch (harp phyfic as the button fnake root, the want of natural
reft, and of every kind of nourithment. But their conftancy, which they
gain by cuftom, and their love of virtue, as the fore means of fuccefs,
enable them to perform all their exercifes, without failing in the leaft,
be they ever fo fevere in the purfuit.

The warriors have another favourite game, called Cbungke ; which, with
propriety of language, may be called “ Running hard labour.” They
F f f have

402 General Obfervations on

have near their ftate houfe, a fquare piece of ground well cleaned, and
fine fand is carefully ftrewed over it, when requifite, to promote a fwifter
motion to what they throw along the furface. Only one, or two on a fide,
play at this ancient game. They have a (tone about two fingers broad at
the edge, and two fpans round : each party has a pole of about eight feet
long, fmooth, and tapering at each end, the points flat. They fet
off a-breaft of each other at fix yards from the end of the play ground»
then one of them hurls the ftone on its edge, in as direft a line as he can, a
confiderable diftance toward the middle of the other end of the fquare:
when they have ran a few yards, each darts his pole anointed with bear’s
oil, with a proper force, as near as he can guefs in. proportion to the
motion of the ftone, that the end may lie clofe to the ftone — when
this is the cafe, the perfon counts two of the game, and, in proportion
to the nearnefs of the poles to the mark, one is counted, unlefs by
meafuring, both are found to be at an equal diftance from the ftone.
In this manner, the players will keep running moft. part of the day,
at half fpeed, under the violent heat of the fun, flaking their filver
ornaments, their nofe, finger, and ear rings; their bread, arm, and
wrift plates, and even all their wearing apparel, except that which
barely covers their middle. All the American Indians are much addifted
to this game, which to us appears to be a talk of ftupid drudgery: it
ftems however to be of early origin, when their fore-fathers ufed diver-
fions as fimple as their manners. The hurling ftones they ufe at prefenr,
were time immemorial rubbed fmooth on the rocks, and with prodigious
labour •, they are kept with the ftricleft religious care, from one generation
to another, and are exempted from being buried with the dead. They
belong to the town where they are ufed, and are carefully preferved.

Their manner of rambling through the woods to kill deer, is a very la~
borious exercife, as they frequently walk twenty-five or thirty miles through,
rough and fmooth grounds, and fading, before they return back to camp,
loaded. Their method of filhing may be placed among their diverfions, but
this is of the profitable kind. When they fee large fifti near the furface of the
water, they fire direftly upon them, fometimes only with powder, which,
noife and furprize however fo ftupifies them, that they inftantly turn up
their bellies and float a top, when the fifherman fecures them. If they,
lhoot at fifti not deep in the water, either with an arrow or bullet, they aim

7 «

the North American Indians.

4<>3

at the lower part of the belly, if they are near j and lower, in like manner,
according to the diftance, which feldom fails of killing. In a dry fummer
feafon, they gather horfe chefnuts, and different forts of roots, which hav¬
ing pounded pretty fine, and fteeped a while in a trough, they fcatter this
mixture over the furface of a middle-fiztd pond, and ftir it about with
poles, till the water is fufficiently impregnated with the intoxicating bittern.
The fifh are foon inebriated, and make to the furface of the water, with
their bellies uppermoft. The fifhers gather them in bafkets, and barbicue
the largeft, covering them carefully over at night to preferve them from
the fuppofed putrifying influence of the moon. It feems, that fifh catched
in this manner, are not poifoned, but only ftupified \ for they prove very
wholefome food to us, who frequently ufe them. By experiments, when
they are fpeedily moved into good water, they revive in a few minutes.

The Indians have the art of catching fifh in long crails, made with canes
and hiccory fplinters, tapering to a point. They lay thefe at a fall of
water, where ftones are placed in two doping lines from each bank, till they
meet together in the middle of the rapid ftream, where the intangled fifh are
foon drowned. Above fuch a place, I 'have known them to faften a
wreath of long grape vines together, to reach acrofs the river, with ftones faf*
tened at proper diftances to rake the bottom ; they will fwim a mile with it
whooping, and plunging all the way, driving the fifh before them into their
large cane pots. With this draught, which is a verv heavy one, they make a
town feaft, or feaft of fove, of which every one partakes in the moft
focial manner, and afterward they dance together, finging Halelu-yah, and
the reft of their ufual praifes to the divine efience, for his bountiful gifts
to the beloved people. Thofe Indians who are unacquainted with the ufe of
barbed irons, are very expert in ftriking large fifh out of their canoes, with
long fharp pointed green canes, which are well bearded, and hardened in
the fire. In Savanah river, I have often accompanied them in killing ftur-
geons with thofe green fwamp harpoons, and whith they did with much
pleafure and eafe; for, when we difcovered the fifh, we foon thruft into
their bodies one of the harpoons. As the fifh would immediately ftrike
deep, and rufh away to the bottom very rapidly, their ftrength was
foon expended, by their violent ftruggles againft the buoyant force of the
green darts: as foon as the top end of them appeared again on the furface

404 General Obfervations ok

of the water, we made up to them, renewed the attack, and in like manner,
continued it, till we feeured our game.

They have a furprifi'ng method of fitiling under the edges of rocks, that
ftand over deep places of a river. There, they pull off their red breeches*
or their long flip of Stroud cloth, and wrapping it round their arm, fo as.
to reach to the lower part of the palm of their right hand, they dive under
the rock where the large cat-fith lie to flielter themfelves from the fcorch-
ing beams of the fun, and to watch for. prey : as foon as thofe fierce
aquatic animals fee that tempting bait, they immediately feize it with the
greateft violence, in order to fwallow it. Then is the time for the diver to
improve the favourable opportunity : he accordingly opens his hand, feizes
the voracious fi(h by his tender parts, hath a fharp ftruggle with it againfl
the crevices of the rock, and at laft brings it fafe afhore. Except the
Choktah, all our Indians, both male and female, above the ftate of infancy,,
are in the watery element nearly equal to amphibious animals, by prac¬
tice : and from the experiments necefiity has forced them to, it feems as if
few were endued with fuch ftrong natural abilities,—very few can equal
them in their wild fituation of life.

There is a favourite method among them of Billing with hand-nets. The
nets are about three feet deep, and of the fame diameter at the opening,
. made of hemp, and knotted after the ufual manner of our nets. On
each fide of the mouth, they tie very fecurely a Itrong elaflic green cane, to
which the ends are fattened. Prepared with thefe, the warriors a-breaft,
jump in at the end of a long pond, fwimming under water, with their
net ftretched open with both hands, and the canes in a horizontal po-
fition. In this manner, they will continue, either till their breath is ex¬
pended by the want of refpiration, or till the net is fo ponderous as to force
them to exonerate it afhore, or in a bafket, fixt in a proper place for.
that purpofe—by removing one hand, the canes inftantly fpring together.
I have been engaged half a day at a time, with the old-friendly Chikkafah,
and half drowned in the diverfion—when any of us was fo unfortunate as
to catch water-fnakes in our fweep, and emptied them afliore, we had the
ranting voice of our friendly pofle comitatus, whooping againft us, till ano¬
ther party was fo unlucky as to meet with the like misfortune. During this
, rtcercife, the women are fifliing afhore with coarfe bafkets, to catch the fifh
7 that

the North American Indians.

40J

that efcape our nets. At the end of our friendly diverfion, we cheerfully
return home, and in an innocent and friendly manner, eat together, ftu-
dioudy diverting each other, on the incidents of the day, and make a
cheerful night.

The Indians formerly had ftone axes, which in form commonly refcm-
bled a fmith’s chifel. Each weighed from one to two, or three pounds
weight—They were made of a flinty kind of ftone: I have feen feve-
ral, which chanced to efcape being buried with their owners, and were
carefully preferved by the old people, as refpeftable remains of antiquity.
They twilled two or three tough hiccory flips, of about two feet long,
round the notched head of the axe •, and by means of this Ample and ob¬
vious invention, they deadened the trees by cutting through the bark,
and burned them, when they either fell by decay, or became thoroughly
dry. With thefe trees they always kept up their annual holy fire;
and they reckon it unlawful, and produftive of many temporal evils, to ex-
tinguilh even the culinary fire with water. In the time of a ftorm, when
I have done it, the kindly women were in pain for me, through fear
of the ill confequences attending fo criminal an aft. I never faw them
to damp the fire, only when they hung up a brand in the appointed place,
with a twilled grape-vine, as a threatening fymbol of torture and death
to the enemy; or when their, kinfman dies. In the laft cafe, a father
or brother of the deceafed, takes- a fire-brand, and brandilhing it two
or three times round his head, with lamenting words, he with his right
hand dips it into the water, and lets it fink down.

By the aforefaid difficult method of deadening the trees, and clearing the
woods, the contented natives got convenient fields in procefs of time. And
their tradition fays they did not live ftraggllng in the American woods, as do
the Arabians, and rambling Tartars; for they made houfes with the branches
and bark of trees, for the fummer-feafon; and warm mud-walls, mixt with
foft dry grafs, againft the bleak winter, according to their prefent plan of
building, which I Hull prefently defcribe. Now, in the firft clearing of their
plantations, they only bark the large timber, cut down the fapplings ana un¬
derwood, and burn them in heaps ; as the fuckers Ihoot up, they chop them-
off clofe by the ftump, of which they make fires to deaden the roots,
till in time they decay. Though to a ftranger, this may feem to be a.

lazy.

j|o6 General Obfervaiiens on

lazy method of clearing the wood-lands; yet it is the moll expeditious
method they could have pitched upon, under their circumltances, as a
common hoe and a fmall hatchet are all their implements for clearing and
planting.

Every dwelling-houfe has a fmall field pretty clofe to it: and, as foon as
the fpring of the year admits, there they plant a variety of large and fmall
beans, peas, and the fmaller fort of Indian corn, which ufually ripens in
two months, from the time it is planted •, though it is called by the EngliHu
the fix weeks corn. Around this fmall farm, they fallen Hakes in the
ground, and tie a couple of long fplit hiccory, or white oak-fapplings, at
proper diltances to keep off the horfes : though they cannot leap fences,
yet many of the old horfes will creep through thefe endofures, almolt as
readily as fwine, to the great regret of the women, who fcold and give them
ill names, calling them ugly mad horfes, and bidding them “ go along,
and be fure to keep away, otherwife their hearts will hang lharp within them,
and fet them on to fpoil them, if envy and covetoufnefs lead them back.”
Thus they argue with them, and they are ufually as good as their word, by
ftriking a tomohawk into the horfe, if he does not obferve the friendly cau¬
tion they gave him at the laft parting. Their large fields lie quite open
with regard to fencing, and they believe it to be agreeable to the bell
rules of ceconomy; becaufe, as they fay, they can cultivate the bell of
their land here and there, as it fuits their conveniency, without wafling
their time in fences and childilhly confining their improvements, as
if the crop would eatitfelf. The women however tether the horfes with tough
young bark-ropes, and confine the fwine ip convenient pen os, from the time
the provifions are planted, till they are gathered in—the men improve this
time, either in killing plenty of wild game, or courfing againll the common
enemy, and thereby fecure the women and girls, and get their own temples
furrounded with the fwan-fcathered cap. In this manner, the Indians have
to me, excufed their long-contrafled habit and praflice.

The chief part of the Indians begin to plant their out-fields, when the
wild fruit is fo ripe, as to draw off the birds from picking up the grain.
This is their general rule, which is in the beginning of May, about the
time the traders fet off for the Englilh fettlements. Among feveral nations
of Indians, each town ufually works together. Previous thereto, an old

beloved

the North American Indians.

407

beloved man warns the inhabitants to be ready to plant on a prefixed day.
At the dawn of it, one by order goes aloft, and whoops to them with
dirill calls, “ that the new year is far advanced,—that he who experts to
eat, muft work,—and that he who will not work, muft expert to pay the
fine according to old cuftom, or leave the town, as they will not fweat
themfelves for an healthy idle wader.” At fuch times, may be feen many
war-chieftains working in common with the people, though as great em¬
perors, as thofe the Spaniards bellowed on the old fimple Mexicans and
Peruvians, and equal in power, (i. e. perfuafive force) with the imperial and
puiffant Powhatan of Virginia, whom our generous writers raifed to that
prodigious pitch of power and grandeur, to rival the Spanilh accounts.
About an hour after fun-rife, they enter the field agreed on by lot, and
fall to work with great cheerfulnefs •, fometimes one of their orators
cheers them with jells and humorous old tales, and fings feveral of their
moll agreeable wild tunes, beating alfo with a Hick in his right hand,
on the top of an earthern pot covered with a wet and well-ltretched deer-
fkin : thus they proceed from field to field, till their feed is fown.

Corn is their chief produce, and main dependance. Of this they have
three forts ; one of which hath been already mentioned. The fecond fort
is yellow and flinty, which they call “ hommony-corn.” The third is the
larged, of a very white and foft grain, termed “bread-corn.” In July,,
when the chefnuts and corn are green and full grown, they, half boil the for¬
mer, and take off the rind; and having diced the milky, dwelled, long rows
of the latter, the women pound it in a large wooden mortar, which is wide
at the mouth, and gradually narrows to the bottom : then they knead both
together, wrap them up in green corn-blades of various fizes, about an inch-
thick, and boil them well, as they do every kind of feethed food. This fort
of bread is very tempting to the tade,. and reckoned mod delicious to their
drong palates. They have another fort of boiled bread, which is mixed with
beans, or potatoes; they put on the foft corn till it begins to boil, and pound
it diffidently fine j—their invention does not reach to the ufe of any kind
of milk. When the flour is dirred, and dried by the heat of the fun
or fire, they fift it with fieves of different fizes, curioudy made of the coar-
fer or finer cane-fplinters. The thin cakes mixt with bear’s oil, were for¬
merly baked on thin broad dones placed over a fire, or on broad earthen
bottoms fit for fuch a ufe: but now they ufe kettles. When they intend to

bake

4° 8 General Obfervations on

bake great loaves, they make a drong blazing fire, with fhort dry fplit
wood, on the hearth. When it is burnt down to coals, they carefully
rake them off to each fide, and fweep away the remaining aflies: then they
put their well-kneeded broad loaf, firft deeped in hot water, over the
hearth, and an earthen bafon above it, with the embers and coals a-top.
This method of baking is as clean and efficacious as could poffibly be done
in any oven ; when they take it off, they wafh the loaf with warm water,
and it foon becomes firm, and very white. It is likewife very wholefome,
and wdl-taded to any except the vitiated palate of an Epicure.

The French of Weft-Florida, and the Englifh colonids, got from
the Indians different forts of beans and peas, with which they were be¬
fore entirely unacquainted. And they plant a fort of fmall tobacco, which
the French and Englifh have not. All the Indian nations we have any ac¬
quaintance with, frequently ufe it on the mod religious occafions. The
women plant alfo pompions, and different forts of melons, in feparate fields,
at a confiderable didance from the town, where each owner railes an high
fcaffold, .to over-look this favourite part of their vegetable poffeffions : and
though the enemy fometimes kills them in this their drift watch duty,
yet it is a very rare thing to pafs by thofe fields, without feeing them
there at watch. This ufually is the duty of the old women, who fret at the

very fliadow of a crow, when he chances to pafs on his wide furvey of

the fields j but if pinching hunger fhould excite him to defeend, they foon
frighten him away with their fcreeches. When the pompions are ripe, they
cut them into long circling dices, which they barbacue, or dry with a
flow heat. And when they have half boiled the larger fort of potatoes,
they likewife dry them over a moderate fire, and chiefly ufe them in the
fpring-fealon, mixt with their favourite bear’s oil. As foon as the lar¬
ger fort of corn is full-eared, they half-boil it too, and dry it either
by the fun, or over a flow fire; which might be done, as well, in
a moderately hot oven, if the heat was renewed as occafion required.
This they boil with venifon, or any other unfalted flelh. They commonly
have pretty good crops, which is owing to the richnefs of the foil; for

they often let the weeds out-grow the corn, before they begin to be in

earned with their work, owing to their lazinefs and unflcilfulnefs in plant¬
ing : and this method is general through all thofe nations that work fe-

parately

the North American Indians.

409

parately in their own fields, which in a great meafure checks the growth
of their crops. Befides, they are fo defirous of having multum in parvo,
without much fweating, that they plant the corn-hills fo clofe, as to thereby
choak up the field.—They plant their corn in ftraight rows, putting five or
fix grains into one hole, about two inches diftant—They cover them with
clay in the form of a fmall hill. Each row is a yard afunder, and in the
vacant ground they plant pumpkins, water-melons, marfli-mallows, fun-
flowers, and fundry forts of beans and peas, the laft two of which yield
a large increafe.

They have a great deal of fruit, and they dry fuch kinds as will bear
it. At the fall of the leaf, they gather a number of hiccory-nuts, which
they pound with a round ftone, upon a ftone, thick and hollowed for
the purpofe. When they are beat fine enough, they mix them with cold
water, in a clay bafon, where the fliells fubfide. The other part is an oily,
tough, thick, white fubftance, called by the traders hiccory milk, and by
the Indians the flelh, or fat of hiccory-nuts, with which they eat their
bread. A hearty ftranger .would be as apt to dip into the fediments as
I did, the firft time this vegetable thick milk was fet before me. As
ranging the woods had given me a keen appetite, I was the more rea¬
dily tempted to believe they only tantalized me for their diverfion, when
they laughed heartily at my fuppofed ignorance. But luckily when the ba¬
fon was in danger, the bread was brought in piping hot, and the good-na¬
tured landlady being informed of my fimplicity, (hewed me the right way
to ufe the vegetable liquid. It is furprifing to fee the great variety of
dilhes they make out of wild flelh, corn, beans, peas, potatoes, pompi-
ons, dried fruits, herbs and roots. They can diverfify their courfes, as
much as the Englilh, or perhaps the French cooks: and in either of the
ways they drefs their food, it is grateful to a wholefome ftomach.

Their old fields abound with larger ftrawberries than I have feen in
any part of the world infomuch, that in the proper feafon, one
may gather a hat-full, in the fpace of two or three yards fquare. They
have a fort of wild potatoes, which grow plentifully in their rich low
lands, from South-Carolina to the Miflifippi, and partly ferve them in-
ftead of bread, either in the woods a hunting, or at home when the fore¬
going fummer’s crop fails them. They have a fmall vine, which twines,
G g g chiefly

410 General Obfervations on

chiefly round the watry alder; and the hogs 'feed 'often upon the grapes.
Their furface is uneven, yet inclining to a round figure. They are large, of a
coarfe grain, well-tafted, and v-ry wholefome •, in the woods, they are a
very agreeable repad. There grows a long flag, in (hallow ponds, and on
the edges of running waters, with an ever-green, broad, round leaf, a
little indented where it joins the (talk; it bears only one leaf, that always
floats on the furface of the water, and affords plenty of cooling fmall nuts,
which make a fweet-tafted, and favourite bread, when mixed with Indian
corn flour. It is a fort of marfh-mallows, and reckoned a fpeedy cure for burn¬
ing maladies, either outward or inward,—for the former, by an outward ap¬
plication of the leaf and for the latter, by a decodtion of it drank plenti¬
fully. The Choktah fo highly edcem this vegetable, that they call one of
their head-towns, by its name.

Providence hath furnifhed even the uncultivated parts of America with
fufficient to fupply the calls of nature.—Formerly, about fifty miles to the
north-eaft of the Chikkafah country, I faw the chief part of the main camp
of the Shawano, confiding of about 450 perfons,. on a tedious ramble to
the Mufkohge country, where they fettled, feventy-miles above the Ala-
bahma-garrifon : they had been draggling in the woods, for the fpace
of four years, as they allured me, yet in general they were more corpu¬
lent than the Chikkafah who accompanied me, notwithdanding they had
lived during that time, on the wild produfts of the American defarts. This
evinces how eafily nature’s wants are fupplied, and that the divine goodnefs
extends to America and its inhabitants. They are acquainted with a great
many herbs and roots, of which the general part of the Englifh have not
the lead knowledge. If an Indian weFe driven out into the extenfive
woods, with only a knife and tomohawk, or a fmall hatchet, it is not to be
doubted but he would fatten, even where a wolf would darve. He could foon
colleft fire, by rubbing two dry pieces of wood together, make a bark hut,
earthen vefiels, and a bow and arrows •, then kill wild game, fifh, frelh water
tortoifes, gather a plentiful variety of vegetables, and live in affluence. For¬
merly, they made their knives of flint-done, or of fplit canes; and fome-
times they are now forced to ufe the like, in flaying wild animals, when
in their winter hunt they have the misfortune to lofe their knives.

I (hall

the North American Indians.

41

I ffiall mention one inftance, which will confirm what I have faid of
their furprifing (kill and ability of living in defarts, inhabited only by
wild beads. In the winter of'the year 1747, one of the Chikkafah
traders went from home, about ten miles, accompanied only by a
negro; fix of the miles was an old wade field, which the Chikkafah
formerly had fettled, when they were more numerous. On their return
home, within two miles of the outer-houfes, while riding carelefly near
two deep gullies, there dood a couple of Canada Indians behind a tree,
(befide two others a little way off) within a few yards of the path, with their
trunk guns, watching two boys then in fight—when the trader and his fer-
vant came abread of them, the negro’s horfe received a mortal (hot, and
after carrying him about a quarter of a mile, on leaping a difficult pafs,
he fell dead on the fpot the rider’s heels carried him the red of the
way fafe: but, unluckily, it did not fare fo well with the gentleman,
for as he rode a young Choktah horfe, which had been ufed only to a rope
round his neck, the reining him with a bridle, checked him, and the
French favages had an opportunity to give the gentleman two mortal
wounds, with brafs-barbed arrows, the one in his belly, and the other a
little below the heart; befide two others in his left (houlder. His horfe
being frightened, fprung off at full fpeed, and brought him home. The
gentleman in his rapid courfe twided the murdering arrows out of his
bowels, but could not reach thofe that were deeply lodged in his (houl-
der. He lived two nights and a day after this in mod exquifite tor¬
tures, but fenfible to the lad-, when he had been forcibly kept down,
a confiderable time on the bed, he entreated in the mod importunate
manner, to be helped to lean his back agair.d the wall, and it would
give him eafe. At my requed it was allowed him—he immediately ex¬
pired, and it is to be hoped, that, according to his defire, he immedi¬
ately entered into eternal red. While he lay a corpfe, and till we the
next day buried him, the Indians were filent, and almod invifible. The ne¬
gro and his mader, as foon as they difeovered the Canadians, put up the
lhrill whoop, both to warn the Chikkafah, and draw them againd the ene¬
my -, this made the two boys to dretch home, which they did a little be¬
fore fun-fet. But the latenels of the day, prevented our friends purfuing,
till next morning. By the didance the enemy ran in the night, they for
that time evaded their eager purfuers. Some went to the place of
ambufeade, and found that the enemy being difappointed of the prey
falling into their hands, had purfued till they came up with the negro’s
G g g 2 horfe.

4rz General Observations on

hori'e, which they had chopped, and the faddle, with their tomohawks,
all to pieces. However, about half way between the Chikkafah country
and the Illinois, three old Chikkafah warriors, on their way to join the main
camp, came up with thofe Canadians in wet bulhy ground ■,—they clofely
chafed them for feveral miles, and forced them by degrees to throw away
every thing they carried, and feek their fafety by leaping quite naked into
a deep and broad creek, that was much frozen on the two banks; it was
for fome time imagined they had perilhed in the woods, by the feverity
of winter, but we were well informed afterwards, that like hardy beads
of prey, they got fafe home.

None of the Indians however eat any kind of raw fallads ; they reckois
fuch food is only fit for brutes. Their taffie is fo very oppofite to that of
cannibals, that in order to deftroy the blood, (which with them is an abomi¬
nation to ear) they over-drefs every kind of animal food they ufe. I have
often jetted them for preffing me to eat eggs, that were boiled fo much as
to be blue,, and told them my teeth were too bad to chew bullets. They
faid they could not fuck eggs after the manner of the white people,,
otherwife they would have brought them raw-,, but they hoped I would
excufe the prefent, and they would take particular care not to repeat
the error, the next time I favoured them with a vifit. In the fpring of
the year, they ufe a great many valuable greens and herbs, which nature
has peculiarly adapted to their rich, and high-fituated regions: few of them
have gardens, and it is but of late they have had any angelica, or belly-
ach-root; this is one of their phyfical greens, which they call Lookr
foojht.

I (hall now describe the domettic life of the Indians, and the trader's,
among them. The Indians fettle themfelves in towns or villages after an-
eafy manner; the houfes are not.too clofe to incommode one another, nor
too far dittant for focial defence. If the nation where the Engliih traders
relide, is at war with the French, or their red confederates, which is tha
fame, their houfes are built in the middle of the town, if defired, on ac¬
count of greater fecurity.. But if they arc at peace with each other, both
the Indians and traders chuie to fettle at a very convenient diftance, for the
fake of their live ftock, efpecially the latter, for the Indian youth are as
deftrudlive to the pigs and poultry, as fo many young wolves or foxes..

Their

the North American Indians.

4'3

Their parents now only give them ill names for fuch mifconduft, calling
them mad; but the mifchievous, and thievilh, were formerly fure to be
dry-fcratched, which punilhment hath been already defcribed.

Moll of the Indians have clean, neat, dwelling houfes, white-wafhed-
within and without, either with decayed oyfter-lhells, coarfe-chalk, or
white marly day, one or other of which, each of our Indian nations
abounds with, be they ever fo far didant from the fea-ihore : the Indians,
as well as the traders, ufually decorate their fummer-houfes with this fa-
vourire white-walh.—The former have likewife each a corn-houfe, fowl-
houfe, and a hot-houfe, or ftove for winter: and fo have the traders
likewife feparate dore-houfes for their goods, as well as to contain the pro¬
per remittances received in exchange;

The traders hot-houfes are appropriated to their young-rifing prolific fa¬
mily, and their well-pleafed attendants, who are always as kindly treated as-
brethren; and their various buildings, are like towers in cities, beyond the
common lize of thofe of the Indians. Before the Indians were corrupted by
mercenary empirics, their good fenfe led them to efteem the traders among,
them as their fecond fun, warming their backs with the Britifh fleeces, and
keeping in their candle of life both by plentiful fupport, and continual pro-
tedlion and fafety, from- the fire-arms and ammunition which they annu¬
ally brought to them. While the Indians were Ample in manners, and un-
eorrupc in morals, the traders could not be reckoned unhappy •, for they
were kindly treated, and watchfully guarded, by a fociety of friendly
and fagacious people, and poflefied all the needful things to make a rea-
fonable life eafy. Through all the Indian countries, every perfon lives at-
his own choice, not being forced in the lead degree to any thing con¬
trary to his own inclination. Before that mod impolitic dep of giving
general licences took place, only a fuflicient number of orderly reputable
traders were allowed to traffic, and refide among the Indians : by which
means the lad were kept under proper reflraint, were eafy in their minds,
and peaceable, on account of the plain honed leflons daily inculcated
On them. But at prefent, mod of their countries fwarm with white people,
who are generally the dregs and off-fcourings of our colonies. The de-
fcription is fo exceedingly difagreeable, that I (hall only obferve, the greater
part of them could notably diflinguifh themfelves, amoDg the mod profli-
i gate

4 H General Obfervations on

gate by land or fea, no day of the week excepted, indeed the fabbath day
is the word. This is the true fituation of our Indian affairs,—the unavoid¬
able refult of ignorant and wicked clergymen fettled as Miffionaries on the
frontiers; and of that pernicious practice of general licences, by which
crowds of diforderly people infed the Indian countries, corrupt their morals,
and put their civilization out of the power of common means : the word
and meaneft may readily get nominal fecurity to intitle them to a trading
licence; and ill ufes are made of them with impunity.

Till of late years, the honeft traders lived among the Indians in the
greateft plenty. They abounded with hogs, which made very firm ftreaked
bacon, and much preferable to that in the Englilh fettlements chiefly ow¬
ing to the acorns and hiccory-nuts they feed on : but the Indians are now
grown fo proud and lazy, by having goods too cheap and plenty, that
very few raife any. There are at lead five times the number of trading houfes
in all the wedern Indian nations, fince general licences, through the wif-
dom of our civil rulers, were fird granted, than was formerly, while expe¬
rience directed South-Carolina to purfue and enforce proper meafures. Such
a number of lewd, idle white favages are very hurtful to the hoqed
part of the traders, by heightening the value of vegetables, efpecially in
the time of light crops, to an exorbitant price; for by inebriating the
Indians with their nominally prohibited, and poifoning fpirits, they pur-
chafe the neceflaries of life, at four or five hundred per cent cheaper, than
the orderly traders ; which is a great check to the few, who have a love to
the welfare of their country, and ftriflly oblerve the laws of trade. Be-
fides, thofe men decoy the intoxicated favages to defraud the old fair
dealer every winter, of many thouland pounds of dred deer-lkins, by the
enchanting force of liquors, which, on account of their indolence and im¬
provident difpofition, intered abfolutely required him to credit them for:
but when at the end of their mad career, they open their didraifled eyes,,
and bitterly inveigh againd the tempting authors of their nakednefs, then'
there is the fame neceffity of truding them a-new for the next feafon’s hunt,
and likewife the fame improbability, either of better fuccefs, or any fort of
redrefs; for family jobs mud not be interrupted or retarded on any ac¬
count.

The

the North American Indians.

VS

The induftrious old traders have ftill a plenty of hogs, which they rails
in folds, moftlv on the weeds of the fields during the whole time the crops
are in the ground ■, likewifc fome hundreds of fowls at once,—plenty of
venifon,—the dried flefh of bears and buffalos,—wild turkeys, ducks,
geefe, and pigeons, during the proper feafon of their being fat and plenty;
for the former fort of fowls are lean in the fummer, and the others are
in thefe moderate climates only during the winter, for they return north¬
ward with the fun. The buffalos are now become fcarce, as the thoughtlefs and
wafteful Indians ufed to kill great numbers of them, only for the tongues
and marrow-bones, leaving the reft of the carcafes to the wild beafts.
The traders commonly make bacon of the bears in winter ■, but the Indiana
moftly flay off a thick tier of fat which lies over the flelh, and the latter
they cut up into fmall pieces, and thruft them on reeds, or fuckers of fweet-
tafted hiccory or faffafras, which they barbecue over a flow fire. The
fat they fry into clear well-tafted oil, mixing plenty of faffafras and
wild cinnamon with it over the fire, which keeps fweet from one winter
to another, in large earthen jars, covered in the ground. It is of a
light digeftion, and nutritive to hair. All who are acquainted with its qua¬
lities, prefer it to any oil, for any ufe whatfoever : fmooth Florence is
not to be compared in this refpeft with rough America.

I have known gentlemen of the niceft tafte, who on the beginning of
their firft trip into the Indian country, were fo greatly prejudiced againft
eating bears-flefh, that they vehemently protefted, they would as foon eat
part of a barbecued rib of a wolf, or any other beaft of prey, as a fpare-
rib of a young bear ; but, by the help of a good appetite, which their ex-
ercife and change of air procured, they ventured to tafte a little : and
prefently they fed on it more plentifully than others, to make up the
lofs they had fuftained by their former fqueamifhnefs and negleft. In the
fpring of the year, bear-bacon is a favourite difh with the traders, along
with herbs that the woods afford in plenty ; efpecially with the young tops
of poke, the root of which is a very ftrong poifon. And this method
they purfuc year by year, as a phyfical regimen, in order to purge their,
blood.

Buffalo flelh is nothing but beef of a coarfer grain, though of a fweeter
tafte than the tame fort: elk-flelh has the like affinity to venifon. The deer

General Oifervations on

416

are very fat in winter, by reafon of the great quantities of chefnuts, and
various forts of acorns, that cover the boundlefs woods. Though mod
of the traders who go to the remote Indian countries, have tame dock,
as already defcribed, and are very expert at fire-arms and ranging the woods
a hunting; yet every fervant that each of them fits out for the winter’s
hunt, brings home to his mafter a large heap of fat barbecued brifkets,
rumps, and tongues of buffalo and deer, as well as plenty of bear-ribs,
which are piled on large racks : thefe are laid up and ufed not for ne-
ceffity, but for the fake of variety. The traders carry up alfo plenty of
chocolate, 'coffee, and fugar, which enables them with their numberlefs
quantity of fowls-eggs, fruit, &c. to have puddings, pyes, pafties, fritters,
and many other articles of the like kind, in as great plenty, as in the En-
glifh fettlements. Several of the Indians produce fugar out of the fweet
maple-tree, by making an incifton, draining the juice, and boiling it to a
proper confidence.

Though in mod of the Indian nations, the water is good, becaufe
of their high fituation, yet the traders very feldom drink any of it at
home •, for the women beat in mortars their flinty corn, till all the hufks
are taken off, which having well fifted and fanned, they boil in large
earthen pots; then draining off the thinned part into a pot, they mix
it with cold water, till it is fufficiently liquid for drinking: and when
cold, it is both pleafant and very nourifhing; and is much liked even
by the genteel drangers. The Indians always ufed mortars, indead of
mills, and they had them, with almod every other convenience, when
we fird opened a trade with them—they cautioufly burned a large log,
to a proper level and length, placed fire a-top, and wet mortar round it, in
order to give the utenfil a proper form : and when the fire was extinguifhed,
or occafion required, they chopped the infide with their done-indruments,
patiently continuing the flow procefs, till they finifhed the machine to the
intended purpofe. I have the pleafure of writing this by the fide of a Chik-
kafah female, as great a princefs as ever lived among the ancient Peruvi¬
ans, or Mexicans, and fhe bids me be fure not to mark the paper wrong,
after the manner of mod of the traders; otherwife, it will fpoil the making
good bread, or hommony, and of courfe beget the ill-will of our white
women.

Ifhall

the North American Indians. 417

I fhall now defcribe their method of building houfes to (ecure themfelves
and their food from injury—They are a very dilatory people, and noted
for procraftinating every thing that admits of the leaft delay : but they are
the readied, and quickeft of all people in going to died blood, and return¬
ing home; whence the traders fay, “ that an Indian is never in hade,
only when the devil is at his arfe.” This proverb is fully verified by theit;
method of building; for while the memory of the bleak pinching winds
lafts, and they are covered with their winter-blackened (kins, they turn out
early in the fpring, to ftrip clap-boards and cyprefs-bark, for the co¬
vering of their houfes: but in proportion as the fun advances, they
ufually defift from their undertaking during that favourable feafon ; fay¬
ing, “ that in the time of warm weather, they generally plant in the
fields, or go to war s and that building houfes in the troublefome hot fum-
mer, is a needlefs and foolifii affair, as it occafions much fweating,”—
Which is the moft offenfive thing in life to every red warrior of manly
principles. On this account, if we except the women chopping fire-wood
for daily ufe, it is as rare to hear the found of an ax in their countries,
as if they lived under the unhofpitable torrid zone; or were nearly related to
the South-American animal Pigritia, that makes two or three days journey
in going up a tree, and is as long in returning. When the cold weather ap¬
proaches, they return to their work, and neceflity forces them then to per¬
form what a timely precaution might have executed with much more eafe.
When they build, the whole town, and frequently the neareft of their tribe
in neighbouring towns, aflift one another, well knowing that many hands
make fpeedy work of that, which would have difeouraged any of them
from ever attempting by himlelf. In one day, they build, daub with their
tough mortar mixed with dry grafs, and thoroughly finifh, a good com¬
modious houfe.

They firft trace the dimenfions of the intended fabric, and every one
has his talk preferibed him after the exafteft manner. In a few hours
they get the timber ready from the flump : every piece being marked,
it is readily applied to the proper place, in a great hurry, and fo very
fecure, as if it were to fereen them frqm an approaching hurricane. Not-
withflanding they build in this hafty manner, their houfes are commonly
genteel and convenient. For their fummer houfes, they generally fix
flrong pofts of pitch-pine deep in the ground, which will laft for feveral
ages—The trees of dried locuft, and faffafras, are likewife very durable.

H h h The

General Obfervations on

418

The ports are of an equal height; and the wall-plates are placed on top
of thefe, in notches. Then they fink a large port in the center of each-
gable end, and another in the middle of the houfe where the partition is
to be, in order to fupport the roof-tree; to thefe they tie the rafters with
broad fplinters of white oak, or hiccory, unlels they make choice of fuch.
long fapplings, as will reach from fide to fide over the ridge hole, which,
with a proper notch in the middle of each of them, and bound as the other
fort, lie very fecure. Above thofe, they fix either fplit fapplings, or three large
winter canes together, at proper diftances, well tied. Again, they place
above the wall-plates of both Tides the houfe, a fufficient number of rtrong
crooks to bear up the eave-boards: and they fallen each of them, both to
one of the rafters and the wall-plate, with the bandages before defcribed.
As the poplar tree is very Toft, they make their eave-boards of it, with
their fmall hatchets: having placed one on each fide, upon the crooks, ex¬
ceeding the length of the houfe, and jutting a foot beyond the wall, they
cover the fabric with pine, or cyprefs clap-boards, which they can, fplit rea¬
dily ; and crown the work with the bark of the fame trees, all of a proper
length and breadth, which they had before provided. In order to fecure
this covering from the force of the high winds, they put a fufficient number
of long fplit fapplings above the covering of each fide, from end to end,
and tie them fall to the end of the laths. Then they place heavy logs above,
retting on the eave-boards, oppofite to each crook, which overlap each other
on the oppofite fides, about two feet a-top, whereon they fix a convenient log;
and tie them together, as well as the laths to the former, which bind it
together, and thus the fabric becomes a favage philofopher’s callle, the fide
and gables of which are bullet proof. The barrier towns cut port holes in
thofe fummer houfes, daubing them over with clay, fo as an enemy can-
not difcover them on the outfide ;—they draw a circle round, each of them
in the infide of the houfe, and when they are attacked, they open their
port holes in a trice, and fall to work. But thofe, that live more at eafe,
indulge themfclves accordingly. Herein, they teach us to fecure our bar¬
rier fettlements with proper places of defence, before we flatter ourfelves
with the uncertain hope of reaping what we plant, or grow fond of the
Ihowy parts of life. When the Britllh empire hath a fufficient plenty of
rtrong frontier garrifons. jo protefl fuch as the weak, and valuable colony o£
Well Florida, fine and well furnilhed houfes will foon rife of courfe. The
Indians always make their doors of poplar, becaufe the timber is large.

the North American Indians.

4<9

and very light when feafoned, as well as eafy to be hewed ; they cut the
tree to a proper length, and fplit it with a maul and hard wooden wedges,
when they have indented it a little, in convenient places with their fmall
hatchets. They often make a door of one plank in breadth, but, when it
requires two planks, they fix two or three crofs bars to the inner fide, at a
proper diftance, and bore each of them with a piece of an old gun barrel,
heated and battered for the purpofe, and few them together with ftraps
of a (haved and wet buffalo hide, which tightens as it dries, and it is
almoft as ftrong as if it were done with long nails, riveted in the ufual manner.
Thus, they finifh their fummer houfe of pleaftlre, without any kind of iron,
or working tools whatfoever, except a fmall hatchet of iron (that formerly
was a long fharpened ftone) and a knife •, which plainly fhews them to be
ingenious, and capable of attaining all the liberal arts and fciences, under
a proper cultivation.

The clothing of the Indians being very light, they provide themfelves for
the winter with hot-houfes, whofe properties are to retain, and reflect the
heat, after the manner of the Dutch ftoves. To raife thefe, they fix deep
in the ground, a fufficient number of ftrong forked pofts, at a proportional
diftance, in a circular form, all of an equal height, about five or fix feet
above the furface of the ground : above thefe, they tie very fecurely large
pieces of the heart of white oak, which are of a tough flexible nature, in¬
terweaving this orbit, from top to bottom, with pieces of the fame, or the
like timber. Then, in the middle of the fabric they fix very deep in the
ground, four large pine pofts, in a quadrangular form, notched a-top,
on which they lay a number of heavy logs, let into -each other, and
rounding gradually to the top. Above this-huge pile, to the very top,
they lay a number of long dry poles, all properly notched, to keep
ftrong hold of the under pofts and wall-plate. Then they weave them thick
with their fplit fapplings, and daub them all over about fix or feven inches
thick with tough clay, well mixt with withered grafs : when this cement is
half dried, they thatch the houfe with the longed fort of dry grafs,
that their land produces. They firft lay on one round tier, placing
a fplit fappling a-top, well tied to different parts of the under pieces
of timber, about fifteen inches below the eave: and, in this manner,
they proceed circularly to the very fpire, where commonly a pole is fixed,
that dpfplays on the top the figure of a large carved eagle. At a fmall dif-
H h h 2 tancc

420 General Obfervations on

fiance below which, four heavy logs are ftrongly tied together acroft, in a
quadrangular form, in order to fecure the roof from the power of envious
blafts. The door of this winter palace, is commonly about four feet high,
and fo narrow as not to admit two to enter it abreaft, with a winding paf-
fage for the fpace of fix or feven feet, to fecure themfelves both from
the power of the bleak winds, and of an invading enemy. As they ufually
build on rifing ground, the floor is often a yard lower than the earth,,
which ferves them as a bread work againft an enemy : and a fmall peeping
window is level with the furface of the outfide ground, to enable them to
rake any lurking invaders in cafe of an attack. As they have no metal to-
refled the heat; in the fall of the year, as loon as the fun begins to lofe
his warming power, fome of the women make a large fire of dry wood, with
which they chiefiy provide themfelves, but only from day to day, through
their thoughtlefsnefs of to-morrow. When the fire is a little more than half
burnt down, they cover it over with afhes, and, as the heat declines, they
firike off fome of the top embers, with a long cane,, wherewith each of
the couches, or broad feats, is conftantly provided; and this method they
purfue from time to time as need requires, till the fire is expended,
which is commonly about day-light. While the new fire is burning down,
the houfe, for want of windows and air, is full of hot fmoky darknefs ; and
all'this time, a number of them lie on their broad bed places, with their
heads wrapped up.

The infide of their houfes is furnilhed with genteel couches to fit, and lie
upon, raifed on four forks of timber of a proper height, to give the fwarming
fleas fome trouble in their attack, as they are not able to reach them at one
fpring : they tie with fine white oak fplinters, a fufficient quantity of mid-
dle-fized canes of proper dimenfions, to three or four bars of the fame fort,
which they fallen above the frame v and they put their mattreiles a-top,
which are made of long cane fplinters. Their bedding confifts of the
Ikins of wild beafts, fuch as of buffalos, panthers, bears, elks, and
deer, which they drefs with the hair on, as foft as velvet. Their male
children they chafe to- raife on the Ikins of panthers, on account of the
communicative principle, which they reckon all nature is pofieft of,
in conveying qualities according to the regimen that is followed:
and, as the panther is endued with many qualities, beyond any of
his fellow animals in the American woods, as fmelfing, ftrengthj^cun*

ning.

the North American Indians.

4 2r

■ing, and a prodigious fpring, they reckon fuch a bed is the firft rudi¬
ments of war. But it is worthy of notice, they change the regimen in
nurturing their young, females; thefe they lay on the fldns of fawns, or
buffalo calves, becaufe they are fhy and timorous : and, if the mother be in-
difpofed by ficknefs, her neared female relation fuckles the child, but only
till fhe recovers. This praAice gives a friendly lelfon to fuch mothers,
who, oftrich like, as foon as the tender infant fucks in the firft breath of
air, commit it to the fwarthy breads of a foetid African to graft it on her
grois dock.

. „ Their dools they cut out of poplar wood, all of one piece, and of a.
convenient height and Ihape. Their cheds are made of clap-boards fewed
tocrofsbars with fcraped wet buffalo drings. Their domedic utenfils con-
fid of earthen pots, pans, jugs, mugs, jars, &c. of various antiquated
forts, which would have puzzled Adam, to have given them fignificant
names. Their wooden diihes, and fpoons made of wood and buffalo
horn, fhew fomething of a newer invention and date, being of nicer work-
manfhip, for the fculpture of the laft is plain, and reprefents things that
are within the reach of their own ideas.

Every town has a large edifice, which with propriety may be called the
mountain houfe, in comparifon of thofe already defcribed. But the only,
difference between it, and the winter houfe or dove, is in its dimenfions,.
and application. It is ulually built on the top of a hill; and, in that fepa-
rate and imperial date houfe, the old beloved men and head warriors meet
en material bufinefs, or to divert themfelves, and fead and dance with the
red of the people. They furnilh the infide with genteel couches, either
to fit or lie on, about feven feet wide, and a little more in length, with a.
defcent towards the wall, to fecure them from falling off when afleep.
Every one takes his feat, according to his reputed merit; a worthlefs cox¬
comb dare not be guilty of the lead intrufion—fliould he attempt it, he is
ordered to his proper place, before the multitude, with the viled-difgrace,
and bears their dinging laughter. This may not be an unprofitable lelfon.
to fome of our young red coated men, who never traverfed the rough'
bloody fields of Flanders; they would be more refpefted if they were more
moded, and difplayed fuperior virtues to thofe whom they affedt to defpife.
Thou, who boadeft of the noble blood of the Scipios running in. thy. veins,,

dolt

422

General Obfervations on

dod thou equal the brave attions- of the Scipios? If not, thou art a dif-
grace to them; their virtue would renounce thee, and (hould make thee
alhamed to own them.

Formerly, the Indians made very handfome carpets. They have
a wild hemp that grows about fix feet high, in open, rich, level lands,
and which ufually ripens in July : it is plenty on our frontier fettlements.
When it is fit for ufe, they pull, deep, peel, and beat it-, and the
old women fpin it off the diftaffs, with wooden machines, having fome
clay on the middle of them, to haften the motion. When the coarfe
thread is prepared, they put it into a frame about fix feet fquare,
and inftead of a fhuttle, they thrud through the thread with a long
cane, having a large firing through the web, which they fhift at every
fecond courfe of the thread. When they have thus finilhed their arduous
labour, they paint each fide of the carpet with fuch figures, of various
colours, as their fruitful imaginations devifej particularly the images of
thofe birds and beads they are acquainted with; and likewife of them-
felves, aiding in their focial, and martial dations. There is that due pro¬
portion, and fo much wild variety in the dcfign, that would really drike a
curious eye with pleafure and admiration. J. W—t, Efq-, a mod fkilful
linguid in the Mufkohge dialeft, affures me, that time out of mind they
paffed the woof with a fhuttle; and they have a couple of threddles, which
they move with the hand fo as to enable them to make good difpatch,
fomething after our mSnner of weaving. This is diffidently confirmed by
their method of working broad garters, fafhes, fhot-pouches, broad belts,
and the like, which are decorated all over with beautiful dripes and
chequers. Probably, their method of weaving is fimilar to the prac¬
tice of the eadern nations, when they came from thence, during the in¬
fant date of arts and fciences. People who were forced to get their daily
bread in the extenfive defarts with their bows and arrows, and by gathering
herbs, roots, and nuts, would not be fond of making new experiments,
but for the neceffities of common life ; and certainly they would not have
chofen a more troublefome method of clothing themfelves, if they knew
an eafier and quicker manner of effefting it—whoever knows any thing of an
•Indian, will not accufe him of that fin.

The

the North American Indians.

423

The women are the chief, if not the only manufaflurers; the men judge
that if they performed that office, it would exceedingly depreciate them. The
weight of the oar lies on the women, as is the cafe with the German Americans.

In the winter feafon, the women gather buffalo’s hair, a fort of coarfe
brown curled wool -, and having fpun it as fine as they can, and properly
doubled it, they put fmall beads of different colours upon the yarn, as-
they work it: the figures they work in. thofe fmall webs, are generally
uniform, but fometimes they diverfify them on both fidesi The Choktah.
weave (hot-pouches, which have railed work infide and outfide. They
likewife make turkey feather blankets with the long feathers of the neck,
and bread of that large fowl—they twill the inner end of the feathers very
fad into a ftrong double thread of hemp, or the inner bark of the muU
berry tree, of the fize and ftrength of coarfe twine, as the fibres are fuffi.
ciently fine, and they work it in the manner of fine netting. As the fear
thers are long and glittering, this fort of blankets is not only very warm,,
but pleafing to the eye.

They make beautiful (lone pipes ; and the Cheerake the bed of any of
the Indians: for their mountainous country contains many different forts and
colours of foils proper for fuch ufes. They eafil.y form them with their to-
mohawks, and afterward finilh them in any defired form with their knives y
the pipes being of a very foft quality till they are fmoked with, and ufed
to the fire, when they become quite hard. They are often a full fpan long,
and the bowls are about half as large again as thofe of our Englifh pipes.
The fore part of eacli, commonly runs out with a (harp peak, two or three
fingers broad, and a quarter of an inch thick—on both Tides of. the bowl,
lengthwife, they cut feveral pidtures with a great deal of (kill and labour ;
fuch as a buffalo and a panther on the oppofite Tides of the bowl; a rabbit
and a fox ■, and, very often, a man and a woman puris naturalibus. Their
fculpture cannot much be commended for its modedy. The favages work
fo dow, that one of their artids is two months at a pipe with his knife, before
he finidies it: indeed, as before obferved, they are great enemies to pro,
fufe fweating, and are never in. a hurry about a good thing. The dems are
commonly made of foft wood about two feet long, and an inch, thick, cut
into four fquares, each fcooped till they join very near the hollow of the
dem : the beaus always hollow the fquares, except a.little at each corner to
hold them together, to which they faden a parcel of bell-buttons, different
3 forts-

424 General Obfervathns on

forts of fine feathers, and feveral fmall battered pieces of copper kettles
hammered, round deer-fkin thongs, and a red painted fcalp 5 this is a
boafting, valuable, and fuperlative ornament. According to their ftandard,
fuch a pipe conftitutes the [pofleffor, a grand beau. They fo accurately
carve, or paint hieroglyphic charadters on the ftem, that all the war-aflions,
and the tribe of the owner, with a great many circumftances of things, are
fully delineated. This may feem ftrange to thole who are unacquainted
with the ancient {kill of the Egyptians this way, and the prefent knowledge
of the Turkilh mutes. But fo it is, and there is not perhaps the like num¬
ber of mimic mutes on the face of the earth, nor eVer were among the old
Greek or Roman Pantomimi, as with the Indian Americans, for reprefent-
ing the great and minute things of life, by different geftures, movements
of the body, and expreflive countenances; and at the fame time they are
perfedtly underftood by each other.

They make the handfomeft clothes bafkets, I ever faw, confidering their
materials. They divide large fwamp canes, into long, thin, narrow fplin-
ters, which they dye of feveral colours, and manage the workmanfhip fo
well, that both the infide and outfide are covered with a beautiful variety
of pleafing figures •, and, though for the fpace of two inches below the
upper edge of each bafket, it is worked into one, through the other
parts they are worked afundcr, as if they were two joined a-top by fome
ftrong cement. A large neft confifts of eight or ten bafkets, contained
within each other. Their dimenfions are different, but they ufually make
the outfide bafket about a foot deep, a foot and an half broad, and almoft
a yard long.

The Indians, by reafon of our fupplying them fo cheap with every
fort of goods, have forgotten the chief part of their ancient mechani¬
cal fkill, fo as not to be well able now, at leaft for fome years, to live
independent of us. Formerly, thofe bafkets which the Cheerake made,
were fo highly efteemed even in South Carolina, the politeft of our colo¬
nies, for domeftic ufefolnefs, beauty, and fkilfol variety, that a large neft
of them coft upwards of a moidore.

They make earthen pots of very different fizes, fo as to contain from
two to ten gallons •, large pitchers to carry water ; bowls, difhes, platters,

bafons,

3

the North American Indians.

4 *i

bafons, and a prodigious number of other veffels of fuch anfiquated forms,
as would be tedious to defcribe, and impoflible to name. Their method of
glazing them, is, they place them over a large fire of fmoky pitch pine,
which makes them fmooth, black, and firm. Their lands abound with
proper clay, for that ufe ; and even with porcelain, as has been proved by
experiment.

They make perhaps the fined bows, and the fmootheft barbed arrows.
Of all mankind. On the point of them is fixed either a fcooped point
of buck-horn, or turkey-cock fpurs, pieces of brafs, or flint ftone. The
latter fort our fore-fathers ufed, which our witty grandmothers call elf-
ftones, and now rub the cows with, that are fo unlucky as to be lhot by
night fairies. One of thofe flint arrow-points is reckoned a very extraor¬
dinary blefiing in a whole neighbourhood of old women, both for the former
cure, as well as a prefervative againft every kind of bewitching charm.

No people are more expert than the Indians in the ufe of fire-arms,
and the bow and quiver: they can frelh flock their guns, only with a
fmall hatchet and a knife, and ftreighten the barrels, fo as to fhoot with
proper direction. They likewife alter, and fix all the fprings of the lock,
with others of the fort they may have out of ufe; but fuch a job cofts
the red artift about two months work.

They are good fadlers, for they can finifh a faddle with their ufual
inftruments, without any kind of iron to bind the work: but the fliape
of it is fo antiquated and mean, and fo much like thofe of the Dutch Weft-
Indians, that a perfon would be led to imagine they had formerly met, and
been taught the art in the fame fchooL The Indians provide themfelves
with a quantity of white oak boards, and notch them, fo as to fit the
faddle-trees; which confift of two pieces before, ; and two behind, eroding
each other in notches, about three inches below the top ends of the frame.
Then they take a buffalo green hide, covered with its winter curls, and
having properly lhaped it to the frame, they few it with large thongs of the
fame fkin, as tight and fecure as need be; whin it is thoroughly dried, it
appears to have all the properties of a cuirafs faddle. A trimmed bear-
ikin ferves for a pad ; and formerly, their bridle was only a.rope round the
I i i horfe’s

426 General Obfervationt on

horfe’s neck, with-which they guided him at pleafure.. Moft of the
Choktah ufe that method to this day.

It is ftrange that all the Indians mount aJi'orle on the:off'fide-as we term,
it, efpecially as their horfes were originally, brought from. Europe. In
the Choktah country, when I was going to a great ball play, at.a confider-
able diftance off, in company with feveral of the head-warriors, we alighted
at a cool ftream of water, to fmoke; and drink- parched corn-flour and
water, according to our ufual cuftom in the woods—when we again fee.
off, we jelled each other for mounting on. the wrong fide. They urged it.
was molt natural, and commodious, to put the right, foot into the ftirrup,
and at the lame time lay hold of the mane with the ftrongefl hand, inltead.
of ufing either of the farthermoft or oppofite ones, as they term the left,.
They carried itagainft me by a majority of voices, whooping and laughing-,
but, as they were boalting highly of the fwiftnefs -of their horfes, and their,
(kill in riding and guiding them, much better with a rope than with a
btidle, I refolved to convince them of their miftake;. for as the horfe I
rode was juftly named Eagle, and reckoned the fwifteftof any in the Chik-
kafah country, I invited them to a trial by way. of diverfion, in fo merry a
feafon, and they gladly accepted the offer. We ranged ourfelves in a broad,
row, on each fide of the wood path, which was rather narrow and crooked,
as is the cafe in their countries—they allowed me to.take the center, and
at the whoop fignal of the by-ftanders we ftarted. My horfe being ufed
to fuch diverfion foon left them behind* a confiderable diftance j. prefently
I-- luckily difeovered a fwampy thicket, a-head on my right hand, which,
ran almoft our direct courfe along-fide. of a creek. As the wild couriers
chiefly followed one another, according to their general cuftom, I there flew,
acrofs, and led two of them off the path, into the thicket covered-with high-
brambles. I had little trouble in difpofing of the reft.; my whooping,
and cracking the whip, fent each of them along with his- neighbour, at full
fpeed, and I continued them fo a. great way : for, as their horfes were
frightened, the.riders had no command over them,: with their-b.oaftcd neck,
bridles. The horfes, at lad, brought them out into the open woods, to
their great joy, when they whooped and. hallooed, as defpifing what they
had undergone ; they were however in a difmal pickle. For it being their
cuftom to carry , their ornaments, and looking glaffes over their flioulder.

the North American Indian?.

427

on fuch public occafions, my companions were fully trimmed out, and did
not (trip themfelves, as they expected no fuch difafter. By (looping to fave
themfelves from being difmounted, their favourite looking glafles were (bat¬
tered to pieces, the paint moftly rubbed off their faces, their (kins of fmall
hawks, and tufts of fine plumes, torn from their heads, and their other or¬
naments, as well as their clothing and lkin, (hared alfo in the misfortune. As
foon as they could (top their horfes, they alighted : and, when I had done
laughing at them, they according to cuftom, faid only, Im phene, “ O
ft range !” The Indians are very happy in not (hewing the lead emotion
of anger, for any mifchance that befalls them, in their fportful exercifes. I
jefted them in commending the fwiftnefs of their horfes, even through a
bramble thicket, and applauded their (kill in fitting, and guiding them
fo well, by the help of their neck bridles. By this time, the hindmoft
of our company came up, who lapghed heartily at the fight' of our
tattered horfemen, and told them, that they expefled I would jockey
them in fome fuch manner. But the young ambitious heroes afcribed
the whole difafter only to the vicioufnefs of my horfe, (hying “ he was
mad.”

From what hath been already faid, it mud be evident, that with proper
cultivation, they would (hine in higher fpheres of life ; and it is not an
eafy matter to feduce them from their fuppofed interefts, to the incoherent
projects, that our home-bred politicians confidently devife over their fpark-
ling bowls and decanters. The friendly and warlike Indians have an intenfe
affeftion to their country and people, and fo have the Britilh Americans: and
whatever fome may think of the colonifts martial abilities, our wife ftatefmen
may be foon convinced, that they will be able to maintain all the invalu¬
able bleffings of free men for themfelves, and convey them to their pofte-
rity in their purity and luftre, according to the old Englifh conftitution,
which is built on plain wholefome laws, and not on the fophifms of
tyranny.

This leads me to fpeak of the Indian method of government.—In ge¬
neral, it confifts in a fcedcral union of the whole fociety for mutual fafety.
As the law of nature appoints no frail mortal to be a king, or ruler,
over his brethren} and humanity forbids the taking away at pleafure, the
I i i a life

42$ General Obfervations on

life or property of any who obey the good laws of their country, they con-
fider that the tranfgrefibr ought to have his evil deeds retaliated upon him-
felf in an equal manner. The Indians, therefore, have no fuch titles or
perfons, as emperors, or kings; nor an appellative for fuch, in any of their
dialefb. Their higheft title, either in military or civil life, dignifies only
a Chieftain : they have no words to exprefs defpotic power, arbitrary kings,
opprefled, or obedient fubjefls 5 neither can they form any other ideas of
the former, than of “ bad war chieftains of a numerous family, who in-
flaved the reft.” The power of their chiefs, is an empty found. They
can only perfuade or diffuade the people, either by the force of good-na¬
ture and clear reafoning, or colouring things, fo as to fuit their prevail
ing paflions. It is reputed merit alone, .that gives them any titles of
diftinftion above the meaneft of the people. If we conneft with this their
opinion of a theocracy, it does not promife well to the reputed eftablifh-
ment of extenfive and puiflant Indian American empires. When any national
affair is in debate, you may hear every father of a family fpeaking in his
houfe on the fubjeft, with rapid, bold language, and the utmoft freedom
that a people can ufe. Their voices, to a man, have due weight in every
public affair, as it concerns their welfare alike. Every town is independent
of another. Their own friendly compatt continues the union. An obfti-
nate war leader will fometimes commit adts of hoftility, or make peace for;
his own town, contrary to the good liking of the reft of the nation. But
a few individuals are very cautious of commencing war on fmall occafions,
without the general confent of the head men: for fhould it prove un-
fuccefsful, the greater part would be apt to punifh them as enemies,
becaufe they abufed their power, which they had only to do good to
the fociety. They are very deliberate in their councils, and never give
an immediate anfwer to any meffage fent them by ftrangers, but fuffer
fome nights firft to elapfe. They reafon in a very orderly manner,
with much coolnefs and good-natured language, though they may dif¬
fer widely in their opinions. Through refpeft to the filent audience, the
fpeaker always addreffes them in a ftanding pofture. In this manner
they proceed, till each of the head men hath given his opinion on the
point in debate. Then they fit down together, and determine upon the
affair. Not the lead paffionate exprefllon is to be heard among them, and

they

3

the. North American Indians.

429

they behave with the greated civility to each other. In all their dated ora¬
tions they have a beautiful modeft way of exprefling their diflike of ill
things. They only fay, “ it is not good, goodly, or commendable.”
And their whole behaviour, on public occafions, is highly worthy of imita¬
tion by fome of our Britilh fenators and lawyers.

Mod of their regulations are derived from the plain law of nature. Na¬
ture’s fchool contemns all quibbles of art, and teaches them the plain eafy
rule, “ do to others, as you would be done by when they are able, with¬
out greater damage to themfelves, than benefit to their creditor, they dif-
charge their honed debts. But, though no difputes pafs between them on
fuch occafions, yet if there be fome heart-burnings on particular affairs, as
foon as they are publicly known, their red Archimagus, and his old beloved
men, convene and decide, in a very amicable manner, when both parties
become quite eafy. They have no compulfive power to force the debtor to
pay; yet the creditor can didrain his goods or chattels, and judly fatisfy
himfelf without the lead interruption—and, by one of his relations, he fends
back in a very civil manner, the overplus to the owner. Thefe indances
indeed feldom happen, for as they know each other’s temper, they are very
cautious of irritating, as the confequences might one day prove fatal—they
never fcold each other when fober—they conceal their enmity be it ever fo
violent, and will converfe together with fmooth kind language, and an
obliging eafy behaviour, while envy is preying on their heart. In general,
they are very punftual in paying what they owe among themfelves, but
they are grown quite carelefs in difcharging what they owe to the traders,
fince the commencement of our dedruftive plan of general licences. “ An
old debt,” is a proverbial expreflion with them, of “ nothing.”

There are many petty crimes which their young people are guilty of,—
to which our laws annex fevere punilhment, but their’s only an ironical
way of jeding. They commend the criminal before a large audience, for
practifing the virtue, oppofite to the crime, that he is known to be guilty
of. If it is for theft, they praife his honed principles-, and they com¬
mend a warrior for having behaved valiantly againd the enemy, when
he afled cowardly, they introduce the minuted circumdances of the
affair, with fevere farcafms which wound deeply. I have known them

4*d GeniraJ Qbfervaiiotts t>n •

to llrike tlieir delinquents with thofe fweetened darts, fo good na-
turcdly and fkilfullv, that they would fooner die by torture, than renew
their Ihame by repeating the aflions. In this they exceed many chriftians.
They are capable of being Ihamed out of their ill habits, and their method
of cure is exceedingly more proper and merciful, than what we apply.
Stripes and fines only inflame the diftemper; when inflifted publicly for
petty crimes, the culprit lpfes what is moft valuable tofliuman nature, the
lenfe of Ihame. He that watches for perfons crimes, to benefit and enrich
himfelf at their damage, and the ruin of their families, is an enemy to fo-
ciety. If it is beneath our dignity to learn from the untaught Indian, let
us turn to the records of Athens, Sparta, and Rome. When their Haves
were guilty of intemperance, they expofed them before their children, and
thus Illewed them its deformity. And, by that, they infufed into them
an early .Ihame and abhorrence of vice, and a great love of virtue.

Formerly, thelndian law obliged every townto work together in one body,
in fowing or planting their crops •, though their fields are divided by proper
marks, and their harveft is gathered feparately. The Cheerake and Muf-
kohge Hill obferve that old cuftom, which is very necefiary for fuch idle
.people, in their element. The delinquent is afiefled more or lefs, according
to his negleft, by proper officers appointed to colleft thofe afieffinenxs,
which they ftriftly fulfil, without the lea'll interruption, or exemption of
any able perfon. They are likewife bound to affift in raifing public edi¬
fices. They have not the lead trace of any other old compulfive law
among them ; and they did not Hand in need of any other in their Hate.
As they were neither able nor defirous to obtain any thing more than
a bare fupport of life, they could not credit their neighbours beyond a mor-
fel of food, and that they liberally gave, whenever they called. Moft of
them obferve that hofpitable cuftom to this day. Their throwing away all
their old provifions, as impure food, whenever the new harveft was fanfli-
fied, helped greatly to promote a fpirit of hofpitality. Their wants, and
daily exercife in fearch of needful things, kept them honeft. Their igno¬
rance of the gay part of life, helped in a great meafure to preferve their
virtue. In their former Hate of fimplicity, the plain law of nature was
.enough.; but, as they are degenerating very fall from their ancient fimpli-
«C«y, they, without doubt, mull have new laws to terrify them from com-
7 mitting

the North American Indians.

+3i

mitring new crimes, according to the ufage of other nations, who multiply
their laws, in proportion to the exigencies of time.

I fliall now give their opinion of our focial and military virtues; which
joined with the foregoing, will fet the Indians in a yet clearer light. We
can trace people by their opinion of things, as well as if we faw them prac-
tife them. Mod of them blame us for ufing a provident care in domeftic
life, calling it a flavilh temper: they fay we are covetous, becaufe we
do not give our poor, relations fuch a fhare of our pofleflions, as would
keep them from want. There are but few of themfelves we can blame,
on account of thefe crimes, for: they are very kind and liberal to every
one of their own tribe, even to the lad morfel of food they enjoy. When
we recriminate on the penurious temper of any of their people, they fay, if
our accufation be true, we by our ill examples tainted them on that
head, for their fore-fathers were endued with all the virtues. They fre¬
quently tell us, that though we are pofieffed of a great deal of yellow and’
white done, of black people, horfes, cows, hogs, and every thing elfe our
hearts delight in—yet they.create us as-much toil and pain, as if we had :
none, indead of that eafe and pleafure, which flow from enjoyment;
therefore we are truly poor, and deferve pity indead of envy : they wifh
Ibme of their honed warriors to have thefe things, as they would know
how to ufe them aright, without placing their happinefs, or merit,
in keeping them, which would be of great fervice to the poor, by
diffuQng them with a liberal hand. They fay, they have often feen a
panther in the woods, with a brace of large fat bucks at once, near a
cool dream ; but that they had more fenfe than to value the bead, on ac¬
count of his large pofleflions: on the contrary, they hated his bad princi¬
ples, becaufe he would needlefsly dedroy, and covetoufly engrofs, the good
things he couldnot ufe himfelf, nor would allow any other creature to (hare of,,
though ever fo much pinched.with hunger. They reckon, if we made a true
edimate of things, we (hould confider the man without any falle props, and
edeem. him only by the law of virtue, which ennobles men by infpiring'
them with good fentiments and a generous difpofition; they fay they are
fure, from fundry obfervations,. we fell to the. highed bidder, our high'
tiiles of war, which were only due to brave men who had often fought the
enemy with fuccefs in defence of their country : that they had feen, even'

432 Htnert/ Obfirvtlions tn

in Charies-town, firvrral young, lary, deformed white men, with big
bellies, who fcemed to require as much help to move them along, as
over grown old women ; yet they underftood thefc were paid a great deal
of our beloved yellow ftone for bearing the great name of warriors, which
(hould be kept fiered from the effeminate tribe, even if they offered
to purchafe it with their whole pofTcfBons.—That thefe titles (hould
only be conferred on thofe who excel in martial virtues otherwtfc, it
gives a falfe copy of imitation to the young warriors, and thereby rxpofet
the whole body of the people to contempt and danger, by perverting the
means which ought to (ccurc their lives and properties s for, when a coun¬
try has none but hclplcfs people to guard it from hoftile attempts, it b li¬
able to become a prey to any ambitious perfons, who may think proper to
invade it. They allow that corpulency is compatible with marking paper
black with the goofe quill s and with ftrong-mouthed labour, or pleading
at law i becaufe old women can fit beft to mark, ind.their mouths are al¬
ways the mod (harp and biting. But they reckon if our warriors had
gained high titles by perfonal bravery, they would be at lead in the fhape
of men, if not of adive brifk warriors; for conftant manly exercile keeps
a due temperament of body, and a juft proportion of (hape. They faid,
fome were not fit even for the ferv.ee of an old woman, much left
for the difficult and lively cxercifes which manly warriors purfue m then-
rough clement—that they could never have gone to war, but bought their
beloved, broad paper wish yellow ftone, or it muft have palled from father
to fon, like the reft of their p>(Tr (lions ; and that by their intemperate me¬
thod of eating and drinking without proper exereife, they had transformed
theml'clves into thofe over-.Town fhapes, which our weavers, raylors, and
plaitcrs of falfe hair, rendered more contemptible.

The old men tell us, they remember our colonies in their infant
(late,—that when the inhabitants were poor and few in number, they main¬
tained profperous wars againft the numerous combined nations of red people,
who furrounded them on all Tides s becaufe in thofe early days, the law of
reafon was their only guiJc. In that time of fimplieity, they lived after
the temperate manner of the red people. They copied after honeft nature,
in their food, drrfs, and every purfuit, both in domcftic and focial life. That
unerring guide dittoed them aright, as tht event of things publicly de¬
clared.

the North American Indians.

433

dared. But time is now grown perverfe and childilh, and has brought
with it a flood of corrupting ills. Inftead of obferving the old beloved
rule of temperance, which their honeft forefathers ftridtly purfued, they
too often befot themfelves with bafe luxury, and thereby enervate all
their manly powers, fo as to reduce themfelves to the ftate of old women,
and efteem martial virtue to confift in the unmanly bulk of their bodies,
and the finenefs and colour of their glittering coats and jackets: whereas
fuch forms and habits only enable the red people to fort the large buffalos,
the fine-feathered parroquets, and wood-peckers—their religious, civil,
and martial titles are conferred on the lean, as well as the fat-bodied, with¬
out minding whether their clothes are coarfe or fine, or what colour they
are of. They fay, their titles of war invariably befpeak the man, as they
always make them the true attendants of merit, never conferring the leafl
degree of honour on the worthlefs.—That corpulency, or a very genteel
outward appearance, would be fo far from recommending any as war-
leaders, that thofe qualities would render them fufpefted, till they gave
fufficient proof of their capacity of ferving their country—that when any
diftinguifhed themfelves by martial virtue, their fine clothes refledted new
beauties on the eyes of the people, who regard a genteel appearance, only
on account of the fhining virtues of the gallant men who wear them.

They often ridicule us, in our gay hours, that they have obferved our
nominal warriors to value themfelves exceedingly on thofe unpleafant
ihapes and undue covering—that like contemptible fhining lizards, they
fwelled their breads almoft as big as their bellies, fpoke very fharp
to the poor people who were labouring in diHrefs, frowned with ugly
faces at them (whereas they ought to have fmiled, in order to make
their hearts cheerful,) and kept them off at a great diftance, with
their hats in hand, as if they were black people. But fuch conduft,
always a fure token of cowardice, teftified with convincing clearnefs,
they were unable to adl the part of even an honeft black man. The
Indians imagine the corruption is become too general to be cured, with¬
out a thorough change of our laws of war, becaufe when the head is
fick, the feet cannot be well: and as our capital towns and regular troops
are much infedted with that deprefling and fhameful malady, they rec¬
kon our country places fuffer much more by our fat fine men. They
fail not to flourilh away as much in their own favour, as againft us,
K k k faying,

434 ‘General Obfervatnns on

faying, that though they are unfkilful in making the marks of our ugly
lying books, which fpoil people’s honefty, yet they are duly taught in the
honed; volumes of nature, which always whifper in their ears, a ftrong
teflon of love to all of their own family, and an utter contempt of danger
in defence of their beloved country, at their own private coft ■, that they
confer titles of honour only on thole who deferve them,:—that the fpeaki
ing trophies of war declare the true merit of their contented warriors,
without having the leaft recourie to any borrowed help. Thty fay, that the
virtue even of their young women does not allow them to bear the leaft
regard to any of the young men, on account of their glittering clothes,
and that none of their warriors would expect it, nor their laws allow
it, if ever their country fhould unhappily produce fo contemptible an
animal. Imitation is natural, and the red people follow virtue ih the old
track of their honeft fore-fathers, while wc are bewildered by evil cutf-

As their own affairs lie in a very narrow circle, it is difficult to im-
prefs them with a favourable opinion of the wifdom and juflice of our
voluminous laws—They fay, if our laws were honeft, or wifely framed, they
would be plain and few, that the poor people might underftand and re¬
member them, as well as the rich—That right and wrong, an honeft
man and a rogue, with as many other names as our large crabbed books
could contain, are only two contraries -, that Ample nature enables every
perfon to be a proper judge of promoting good, and preventing evil, either
■by determinations, rewards, or punifhments ; and that people cannot in
juftice be accufed of violating any laws, when it is out of their power to
have a proper knowledge of them. They reckon, that if our legiflators
were not moved by feme oblique views, inftead of afting the part of mud-
Jilb, they would imitate the fkilful bee, and extradt the ufeful part of their
unwieldy, confufed, old books, and infert it in an honeft fmall one, that
.the poor people might be able to buy, and read it, to enable them to teach
their riling families to avoid fnares, and keep them from falling into the
power of. our cunning fpeakers—who are not alhamed to fcold and lie
publickly when they are well paid for it, but if intereft no longer
tempted them to inforce hurtful lies for truth, would probably throw
away all their dangerous quibbling books.—That the poor people might have
caly redrefs and juftice, this fhould become a public concern, and the Go-
7 vernor-

the North American Indians.

43 S

nor-Minggo, all the head warriors, and old beloved men, fhould either en¬
tirely deftroy thofe books, or in an artful manner fend them to their enemy
the French, in order to deftroy their conftitution : but they were of opi¬
nion, common fenfe would not allow even thofe to receive them, under-
any pretence whatfoever—therefore they ought to be burnt in the old year’s
accurfed fire. By that means, the honeft poor could live in peace and
quiet; for now they were unable by poverty, or backward by their ho-
nefty, to buy juftice, in paying thafe people of cunning heads and ftrong
tnbuths to fpeak the truth : and the hearts of rich knaves muft then become
honeft, as they would not needlefsly give thofe large bribes,, for painting,
their black affions with a white colour.

They urge, that while litigious, expenfive, and tedious fuits are either
'encouraged by our artful fpeakers, or allowed by our legiflators, the hoc-
reft poor man Will always be a great lofer; which is a crying evil. Be-
caufe he is humble, modeft, and poor, his feeble voice cannot be heard.
The combined body of the noify rich muft drown his complaints. His
only fatisfaftion is, that his heart is honeft, though that muft prove very
final! comfort to a wife crying over helplefs children, in a fmall wafte houfe.
They fay, that as no people are born rogues, truth appears plain enough;
for its native drefs is always frmple, and it never refides in troubled wa¬
ters, but under the ftriking beams of the fun. It is not therefore juft,,
either to compel, or tempt people to buy juftice; it Ihould be free to all,
as the poor are not able to purchafe it;

They affirm, that as all laws fhould be enafled by. the joint voice of the
honeft part of the fociety for mutual good, if our great chieftain and his
affiftants refiife altering thofe that are hurtful to the people, we ought-to
'fet them afide on account of their ill principles, and for driving to fupport
their own bad actions, by bad laws—that as wife free-men, we fhould
with all fpeed chufe honeft men in their room, to aft- the part of fa¬
thers of their country, and continue them juft as long as they behaved
fuch : for leading men are ehofen only to do-good to the people; and
whenever they make a breach of their truft, injuring the public good, their
places of courfe become vacant, and juftly devolve to the people, who con¬
ferred them. Our law, they fay, condemns little Togues, but why fhould-
it fpare great ones ? That.we hang the former with ftrong topes- of hemp,
Kk k. 2 bur

General Observations on

43 6

but we ihould firft do fo to, or fhorten the heads of, the latter, with a poi-
foned tomohawk, as a juft emblem of their mifchievous poifoning conduit.

I told them, that the eflential part of our laws was fixed and unalterable,
and alfo the fucceflion of each of our great chieftains, while they obfervc
them faithfully, and order them to be honeftly executed, but no longer.
That formerly when the people’s hearts became forely aggrieved, and bit¬
terly vexed, as pride for unlimited power, had made fome of the rulers
heads giddy, the enraged community had fhortened fome of them, and drove
away others from corrupting the beloved land, without any pofiibility of
returning in fafety. May none of our prefent or future ftatefmen, by wilful
mifconduft, and bad principles, be ever forced to appear at the dreadful
bar of an abufed and enraged community 1 for as they mete, fo it will
furely be meted to them again. The Indian fyftem feems to coincide with
the grand fundamental law—“ A natura lex, a virtute rexwhich the
great conqueror of the eaft feelingly declared in his laft moments to be
juft, by willing his crown to him who molt excelled in virtue.

The ill opinion they entertain of our courts of judicature, may have rifen
in fome degree from the wrong information of our interpreters, who
have occafionally accompanied them to the courts: but they generally
retain a long time the firft impreflions they imbibe from any one they
efteem One law caufe which the Chikkafah attended, proved tedious, and
was carried contrary to their opinion of juftice and equity: on their re¬
turn to their own country, they faid, that two or three of their old
women would have brought in a quicker, and honefter verdidt. They
compared our counfellors to the mercenary Choktah, who often kill
people, and even one another, for the fake of a French reward, as they
earneftly ftrove to draw fuffering truth to their own fide of the debate, and
painted it contrary to its native form, with a deformed lying face.

They tell us, that when their head-men are deliberating on public affairs,
they difpaffionately examine things, and always fpeak the naked truth ; for
its honeft face hates a mafk, having nothing to hide from a fearching eye,
and its drefs plain and Ample; that people can as eafily diftinguifh it from
falfhood, as light from darknefs, or clear and wholefome water from that
which is turbid and hurtful, without giving up their reafon to hired fpeakers,

whs

the North American Indians.

437

who ufe their fquint eyes and forked tongues like the chieftains of the
fnakes, (meaning rattle-fnakes) which deftroy harmlefs creatures for the
fake of food. They fay, that the quotation of dark quibbles out of their
old books, Ihould be deemed as white paint over a black man’s face; or
as black over one that is naturally white. They wonder that, as an honed
caufe is always plain, judgment is not given freely in its favour, and with¬
out the lead delay; and infid, that every bad caufe Ihould meet with a fuit-
able and fevere award, in order to check vice, and promote virtue in focial
life.

One of the red Magi afked me, whether in our fcolding houfes, we did
not always proportion the charges of the fuit in debate, to the value of the
debt, or damages. Suggeding that it was wrong to make a perplexed fcience
of granting equity with any charges attending it, to honed poor people;
that we Ihould pity them on account of the didreffes they labour under,
and not in effeeft enflave or fine them becaufe they are poor.

I told him and the red of his brethren by way of excufe, that the
different nature, and multiplicity of contracts in our great trading em¬
pire, with the immenfc difference that often happened between the eloquence
and abilities of the contending parties, required a feries of decifions of
right and wrong to be recorded in books, as an invariable precedent to
direft future public determinations, in difputes of the like nature; that
«nod of our people were more unequal to each other in fine language
than the bred lawyers ; and that none were fo fit to fearch, or could poffibly
underdand thofe regiders as well as they, becaufe they fpent the chief
part of their time on fuch fubjefls. He granted that they might be ufe-
ful members of the community, but doubted their honedy was too much
expofed to the alluring temptations of our rich people’s yellow done; and
that though our fore-fathers were no doubt as wife and virtuous as we,
yet they were but men, and fometimes had paflions to gratify, efpeci-
ally in favour of a worthy and unfortunate friend, or relation, who was
beloved. He faid, the length of dealing time mud have naturally
occafioned fuch an event; and that our wife men ought to be fo far
from quoting a wrong copy, as a fixed precedent, that they Ihould erafe
ft out of their old court books, and profit by the foibles of t|je old, the
wife and the good.

At

4j3 General Observations on

At his requeft, l fpoke alfo of our fkilful phyficians and quack-dodtors—
I told him that the former commonly cured the fick, or difeafed, unlefs
the malady was of an uncommon nature, or very dangerous by not applying
in time, before it took root beyond the reach of any cure; but that the
empirics feldom failed of poifoning their weak patients by flow, degrees;
and that we had old women likewife who frequently did much good with-
bare fimples. He faid, if our phyficians ufed fimples in due time, to
aflift nature, inflead of burning corrofive mixtures, they would have no
occafion to difmember poor people, cutting off their limbs in fo horrid a
manner, as feveral were reported to do; and that, if our law was fo weak as
not to condemn thofe to death, who took away the lives of low innocent
people, yet the ftrong feelings of nature ought to incite the furviving rela¬
tions of the murdered perfons, to revenge their blood on the murderers,
by beating them with long knobbed poles, while they were fenfible of pain,
and as foon as they recovered a little, to cut off their ears and nofe with a
dull knife, as in the cafe of adultery, in order to quench innocent blood,
and teach unwary people to avoid and deteft the execrated criminals. Here,
the red audience highly applauded the wifdom and juftice of his medical
obfervations, besaufe they exadtly correfponded with their own ffandard in.
fimilar cafes.

"Well, faid he, you have given us plainly to underftand the high efleetn
the Englifh bear to their people of cunning heads and ftrong mouths,
and to the curers of ailments—If the former continue honeft when they
have gained deep knowledge in their old books; and the latter arc fuc-
cefsful in the killing, or healing quality of their ftrong medicines: We
fhould rejoice, if you would likewife inform Us, according to your written
traditions, of the firft fife of Oobache, “• bringers of rain,” and of IJhto-
loollb Ecbeto, “ high-priefts, popes, or arch-bi(hopswhether the fu-
preme fatherly chieftain gave them from the beginning to the white people,
or if not, how he came to give them afterward; and whether their lives
give virtuous leffons to youth, to induce them to a ftrift obfervance of the
divine law, as modefty and humility fhould always appear in the Ipeech
and behaviour of public teachers, on account of their charming influence—
Inform us of their ufefulnefs in religious and civil fife, and the general opi¬
nion of the difinterefted and wife part of the community concerning them

the North American Indians.

439

as all nations of red people have lately heard a great deal of their un-
peaceable, if not cruel difpofition towards the Britilh Americans, which their
covetoufnefs of heart, it is fait), prompted' them to, becaufe they could
not prevail upon them by their invented fpeeches, to give them the tenth
part of the yearly produce of their honeft labour—Let us know their
true conduct over the broad water, whether they are covetous in demand¬
ing any part of the new harveft •, and if the young people do not violate the
marriage-law when the crops fail by the want of refrelhing rains ?

As the talk was difagreeable, I told him, had he been fo particular in
his enquiries concerning the two former daffes, I could have much better
informed him, as I had the pleafure of being long acquainted with many
of them, who were learned, wife and benevolent, in a very great degree;
and was convinced from my own knowledge, that feveral of them, not only
fpoke earneftly for honeft poor people, and others cured them of their linger¬
ing ailments, without pay; but fupplied them with needful utenfils for plant¬
ing provifions for their fmall families, till they could conveniently repay the
value, in their own produce: but that as I neither had nor defired the leaft-
acquaintance with any of our high-placed beloved men, I was very unfit
to handle fuch a long firing of queries. He faid, my denying to gratify
their curiofity on fo material a point, ferved only to raife it the higher;
efpecially as I had given them a very favourable opinion of the gentlemen
of the other two daffes •, and he hoped, the religious men were at leaft
as virtuous as thofe, their facred office requiring them to give an honeft
copy to all others, as the young people imbibed from their teachers exam,
pie, either good or bad principles, which mull benefit or injure themfelves,
and the community. He fo earneftly importuned me to comply with his
requell, that, as an Indian divine, I thus addreffed the attentive red con¬
gregation.

In paft ages, moft part of all nations of people funk into igno¬
rance not only of the old beloved fpeech, (or divine law) but of the very
being of the great, fupreme, holy Spirit; upon which account, the glim¬
mering image impreft on their hearts, direfted them to worlhip the fun,
moon, and liars, becaufe of their beneficial and powerful influence, —
and the fire, light, and air, the three divine names and emblems. By

degrees.

440 General Observations on

degrees, they chofe an idol-god of fuch reputed qualities, as bed fuited
with their own tempers, and the fituation of their various countries, in or¬
der to receive temporal good things, and avert the oppofite evils. In the
length of forgetting time, they became fo exceedingly ftupid, as to wor-
ihip vegetables, frightful and fhameful images, filthy beads, and danger¬
ous fnakes. Self-love feemed to have induced them to adore the two lad
through fear, and the bird alfo that preyed on them, became the objefl of
their adoration. In this miferable date of darknefs the world was in¬
volved, when the fupreme fatherly chieftain, through tender pity to hu¬
man weaknefs, appeared to your reputed ancedors, in the form of a
blazing fire, renewed his old divine laws with one of their beloved men,
and confirmed the whole, with dreadful thunders, lightnings, and other
driking prodigies, to imprefs them with a deep awe and reverence
of his majedy. In time, they built a mod magnificent beloved
houfe, wonderful in its form, and for the great variety of beloved uten-
fils, and emblems it contained. The ark was one of the three mod divine
fymbols in it. IJbtobooUo Eloha became their chieftain, both at home, and
at war. A wonderful emanation of the holy fire refided in the great divine
houfe, while they lidened to the voice of Loacbe, “ the prophets,” which
the holy chieftain fent to them in fucceflion, to teach them his will as the fixt
rule of all his aftions. While their hearts continued honed, he enabled
them to conquer their enemies, and to gain victories over formidable ar¬
mies, which like the fwarms of buzzing infedts in your low lands, could
not be^jumbered, and at length fettled them in as happy a date as they
could reafonably wilh for.

A little before that time, he called himfelf A-Do-Ne-Yo, Minggo
IJhtohoollo, “ the divine chief-,” but then, to your enlightened (and re¬
puted) ancedors, Yo-Ht-Wab, which fignifies, “ he lived always, and will
never die.” It is he, whom you invoke in your facred fongs when you are
drinking your culfeena, and you derived that awful invocation, and your
ark of war, from them. He is the author of life and death, and con-
fequently, the “ mader of our breath,” as the red people judly term him.
He gave them Loacbe and Oobacbe, “ Prophets and afkers of rain,” and
prefcribed to them laws that were fuitable for their own government.
They chiefly confided of facred emblems of an early divine promife to
mankind, which he faithfully performed ; and when the end was anfwered,
5 thofe

the North American Indians.

4+i

thofe fymbols ceafed. The people were enjoined a very ft rift purity, both
in civil and religious life, efpecially all the priefts or beloved men •, and
in a particular manner, the great beloved man, or high prieft. He was to
be equally perfeft in body, and pure in heart—and was not allowed to
touch.the dead, as their bodies were in a corrupting ftate. The old be¬
loved l'peech aftfures us, he was appointed as a reprefentative of the people
to IJhtoboollo Aba , and as a lively emblem of an extraordinary divine per-
fon, who was to be fent to inftruft the whole earth, and purify them from
all their pollutions; which the fupreme fatherly chieftain will enable us
fully to inform you of, in due time. He came according to divine appoint¬
ment, taught the people, as never man did before, cured them of their va¬
rious ailments, even the lame and the blind, by the power of his word,
and a bare touch. He had fo great a command over nature, that through
pity to the tender tears of the people, he awaked fome who had flept a con-
fiderable time in the grave, in a warm country. They, who ftrove to leffen
the merit of the furprifing miracles he wrought, were not fo weak as to
deny the well known truth of them, as they had been performed at differ¬
ent places, and on different occafions, before a great many people, under
the light of the fun, and were lafting. At laft, he, as an uncommon kindly
friend, gave up his innocent life to fave his enemies from the burning wrath
of the holy fire: and, while the anger of Louche IJhtoboollo lay very lharp
on him, as the atoning vidlim, and his enemies were tormenting him with
the moft exquifite tortures, he earncftly fpoke the beloved fpeech, and en¬
treated in their favour, that he would not let his heart be crofs with, nor
revenge his blood upon them, as they imagined they were atting according
to the divine law. As foon as that great beloved meffenger died, all na¬
ture felt a prodigious fhock. The graves opened, and the dead arofe to
fee the caufe of that alarming prodigy. The earth (hook, the rocks burft
afunder, the fun, contrary to the Rated courfe of nature, was immediately
darkened, the great beloved houfe rent afunder, and its guardian angels flew
off to other countries: his death alfo exceedingly dcftroyed the power of
Nana Ookproo, the evil fpirits. On the third day, the matter of breath
awaked that great chieftain, prophet, and high prieft, according to his
former true fpeech ; and when he arofe, he was feen by multitudes of peo¬
ple, and fulfilled the old divine law, and confirmed every thing he for¬
merly taught his humble, and kind hearted fcholars.

L 11

Till

442 General Obfervations on

Till then, there were only twelve of them ■, but afterwards more were ap¬
pointed in that religious Ration. They urged, that their facred office, and
the faithful difcharge of all the duties attending it, engaged their clofe atten¬
tion, and deferved an honeft maintainance; but to check a covetous fpirit
among all beloved men of every rank, they freely fpoke the beloved fpeech
through every known country of the world, and maintained themfelves by
their own induftry. As they travelled, eat, drank, and converfed daily
with the great divine meflenger, he perfedtly taught them the divine law,
which your fuppofed anceftors had received under very ftrong emblems.
After his death, they fpoke it with great boldnefs, and a mod amazing
power. They truly marked down on paper, moil of the fpeeches and
a&ions of their beloved matter and themfelves, without concealing their
own foibles, for our inftruftion: and a great many true copies of them are
tranfmitted over every quarter of the world, in different languages, which
agree together, and with thofe early beloved books ; though it is more than
feventeen hundred years, fince they were firft drawn out by thofe beloved
fcholars. As their hearts were warmed in a very high degree, by the holy
fpirit of fire, the moral part of their lives were free from blemiffi, after
the death of their matter. In imitation of him, they differed all kinds of
hardfhips, difficulties, and dangers of life, that human beings could un¬
dergo, merely through a principle of divine love working in them, for the
general good of mankind; they cured the fick and difeafed, and taught
every one the true beloved fpeech, to purify them. As they were not
proud, they were not drawn with beautiful prancing hordes, in coftly mo¬
ving houfes, but walked after the manner of their divine matter, and in-
ftrufted the attentive people, by their humble example, and honeft leffons,
in the moft allured hope of receiving from IJbtohoollo Aba , a reward equal
to their virtues, after they died, knowing they were to live anew in a
happy ftate, free from the power of death. In this manner, they, by the
earned beloved fpeech of the great divine meflenger, were cheerfully con¬
tent, and firmly trufted in the goodnefs of the fatherly chieftain. Indeed,
foon after they entered into their facred office, they were jealous of their
matter’s giving preference to one, before the other of them ; but he gave
a ftrong leffon of humility and kindnefs for them, and all fucceeding be¬
loved men to purfuc, by wattling and wiping their feet with his own hands :
and he aflfured them JJhtobooUo would always efteem them moft, who aided
beft.

All

the North American Indians.

+43

All thole beloved men, who do not join in religious communion with
Oobacbe IJhtohoollo, tell us, that ancient records affirm, all of the prieftly
order (after the death of the divine meffenger) were equal in their religious
office, that deference excepted, which is always due to a virtuous feniority—
and that as wifdom and virtue equally accompany either youth, middle,
or old age, they continued in that brotherly (late of religious limplicity, ac¬
cording to the true copy of the humble, all-loving, and beloved meffenger,
for the fpace of three hundred years after that period—and that, as the
fpeech of the great divine meffenger was marked in a copious language,
which abounded with various words to exprefs the fame thing, the
names of old men, overfeers and bifhops, fignify one and the fame rank
of beloved men of the beloved houfe, according to the former humble con-
duft of their divine matter •, but that the words are now tortured through
mercenary views, contrary to the plain fimplicity of the primitive teachers.
As holy things, and white emblems, are eafily polluted and tarnifhed by
people of impure hearts, and unclean hands, the divine law began then to
lofe its quickening influence over the beloved men of thofe large countries,
where the fun rifes out of the broad water. Their difputes ran high, and
the longer they lafted, the (harper they grew. They, at laft, referred them
to the deciflon of the beloved men, toward the place where the daily fun is
drowned in the great fait water, which is called Rome. As in affairs of
(late, fo in religion, a remarkable precedent begets a cuftom, and this be¬
comes a law with focieties. In confequence thereof, an order of fuperior
beloved men laid hold of this, and ftretched the divine fpeech, fo as to
anfwer their own mercenary views.

In procefs of time, there fprung up a pretended great bringer of rain,
who, like the hurtful fpirits of corrupt darknefs, by rejefling the divine
fpeech, and defpiflng the example of the holy meffenger and his fcholars, fct
up arrogantly for himfelf, againft the fupreme chieftain of the rain and thun¬
der, claimed the tenth bafket-full of the new harveft according to the obfo-
lete law of your fuppofed anceftors, and even forgave adulterers, thieves,
liars, inceftuous perfons, and thofe who accompanied with women in their
lunar retreats, without any fort of purification, if they only paid him fuch a
quantity of yellow (lone, as he proportioned to the various degrees of each
crime they committed. To enrich himfelf by their weaknefs, his whole
tribe of black-dreffed miflionaries, by (iriifl order, frightened the ignorant
Lila and

444 General Observations on

and credulous, with the wild notion of wandering after death in the ac-
curfed place of darknefs, without any poflibility of avoiding that dreadful
fate, unlefs they revealed all their crimes to them, and paid them a fixed price.
Becaufe pride and envy had fpoiled fome of the fpirits above, and made
them accurfed beings •, therefore, the meflenger of IJhtoboolle, as I told you,
ftrongly checked the like difpofition in its firft appearance among his fcholars.
But the pride of the Romifh chieftain, and defire of abfolute religious and
civil power, became fo unbounded, as to claim an unlimited authority over
all the great chieftains on earth ; and he boafted of being fo highly attuated
by the unerring divine wifdom, as to know and do every thing perfedtly.
He, at the fame time, ordered all his fcholars to involve the people
in thick clouds of darknefs, and imprefs them with a firm belief, that
ignorance produces virtue. He invented a third ftate for the fake of his
temporal intereft, fixing it half way between people’s favourite place of
living anew, and that of the horrible darknefs, which was to be a vomit¬
ing or purging ftate of the dead, and called it purgatory; where the
dead muft unavoidably call, and be detained, till furviving relations fa-
tisfied them for their enlargement. He became fo highly intoxicated by
pride and power, that he erected images of fuch dead people as moft re-
fembled himfelf, with various other objefls for the living to invoke, inftead
of the great eternal To He Wab, whom you fupplicate in your religious
invocations: and he marked for his black fcholars, a great many very
evil fpeeches, and fpoke them with a ftrong mouth and ill heart, and en¬
forced them by fwords and fiery faggots, contrary to the old beloved (peech
which was confirmed by the anointed meflenger.

At length, the holy fpirit of fire influenced two great beloved men in
particular, according to a former prediftion, to fpeak to the people with a
ftrong mouth, as witnefies of the divine truth. Their ears were honeft in
hearing the old beloved fpeech, and it funk deep into their hearts. But
a great many fuperftitious cuftoms ftill remained, for had they aimed at a
perfeft eftablilhment of the divine law in their religious worlhip, probably
the high placed religious men through a covetous fpirit would have op-
pofed the reformation with' all their might •, as very few of them endea¬
voured to teach the young people, by honeft examples, to live a virtuous
life, or enabled them to get refrelhing fhowers from IJhtoboolIo Aba to
make plentiful harvefts—and yet they claimed a great part of it, and even

of

the North American Indians.

445

of the feed corn, without the lcalt exemption of the poor, contrary to the
tender feelings even of our indigent warriors and great canoe men, who
ftretch out a kindly hand to their poor brethren. That part of the old be¬
loved fpeech, the tenth ba(ket-full, was calculated only for your fuppofed
predeceffors, who confided of twelve families j one of which was devoted to
the divine fervice. Therefore, they were allowed fome part of the religious
offerings, and of the yearly produce of the land, to make their own and
their families hearts rejoice, and at the fame time to keep them humble,
and make them hofpitable to the widow, the fatherlefs, and the ftranger.
They, like the humble fcholars of the great beloved mefienger, were always
poor; they honeftly minded their religious duty, and were not allowed to
purchafe any land, nor to expofe their virtue to the temptations of heaping
up yellow Hone, or employing their minds on any thing, except the divine
law.

The lives and manners of the early teachers of the fpeech of the divine
mefienger, as I before told you, were alfo ftriftly juft and blamelefs.
They equally taught by precept and examples and their lefions, like
thofe of their great matter, were plain, Ample, and holy. They were
humble in their behaviour, and moderate in their apparel, food, and
drink, and faithful in the difcharge of their religious office: inftead of
afluming the arrogant title of divine chieftains, they honeftly gave them-
felves the lowly name of Ititookfare I/htohoollo, “ Servants of God,” in
imitation of the life, precept, and example of the holy mefienger,
which ftrongly actuated their honeft hearts. When they were weary
after the toils of the day, by inftru&ing the people, and working at
their trade, as your beloved men do, they joyfully retted themfelves in
their humble cottages, and refrelhed themfelves with their homely fare;
and there they inftrudled the young people to invoke Yo-He-Wab , and
fpeak the divine fpeech. In this religious manner, they fpent their time
through various countries, by the direction of divine wifdom, as a ftrong
pointed leffon to all fucceeding beloved men to purfue, and they fealed
the truth with their blood—fuch were the primitive teachers of the divine
word. They lived and died in a ftate of equality •, and were there any
different degrees to be obferved in the holy office of religion, learning and
piety (hould recommend poor beloved men to the high feats of profit—
but only toilfome places are now allotted them, with an allowance infuf-
ficient to fupport themfelves, fo that they cannot ftretch out their kindly
hand to the poor.

The

446 General Obfervations on

The mouths and hearts of the fuperior beloved men in our day, (hame-
fully contradict one another, to the difcredit of the lively copy of the holy
meflenger and his beloved fcholars, and the great danger of infefting
thofe of inferior rank, by fo pernicious and corrupt an example; for
it is natural for the feet to follow the direction of the head. They were
formerly a very infolent, covetous, and troublefome fet; and being advanced
by rich friends to the high founding office of Mingo IJhtohoollo , “ Divine
chieftains,” or in their own ftile, “ Right Reverend Fathers in God,” princes
and fupporters of the church, great was their arrogance and power—
taking advantage of the corruption of the times, they grafted themfelves into
the civil conftitution, and to preferve their high and profitable places they
became the fixed and ftrenuous fupporters of courts, in all their meafures.
But they will very foon be purified. The beloved fpeech of ljhotoollo of
old, has announced it, and that is always true. It has pointed to the pre-
fent and approaching time, which is near to the end of meafured time.

To (hew you how well prepared thofe priedly princes are for that trying
period, I (hall give you the general opinion of the wife and honed people,
on this and the other fide of the broad water; by which you will fee how
far they agree with, or differ from, the original copy of the plain honed
fcholars of the anointed holy meflenger.

They boad themfelves to be the embaffadors of the holy chieftain of the
high church. They dwell in codly great houfes, after the fuperb man¬
ner of our great civil chieftain; and they give them the fame lofty name.
Palaces, to didinguilh them from the dwelling-houfes of other mortals.
Their drefs is equally rich and lingular, to drike the eye, and imprefs the
hearts of the vulgar with a profound reverence of the divine priedly
wearers. They have the revenue of princes to fupport their grandeur;
and they are mod exaft in having it collefted by litigious mercenaries,
even to the tenth of the hive of bees, and of the unlawful and filthy
young fwine ; and yet they aft the part of Phobe IJhto, “ Great drones,
or drones of God,” as foon as they obtain their rich high feat, not fpeak-
ing the divine fpeech to the people hardly three times a year. Their food
confids of a great variety of the choiced, and mod delicious forts of fi(h,
flefh, and fowl; their drink is of the riched white, yellow, and red grape
water, with other codly liquors which your language cannot exprefs.

5 They

the North American Indians.

447

They refort to the mod gay affemblies in the world, for the fake of pleafure,
leaving the multitude to the divine care, or the fpeakings of poor religious
men who are hired at low wages to do their duty, as they themfelves have
enough to mind and fecure properly temporal concerns. In this man¬
ner, do thefe lamps Ihine, and fpend their days and nights, like the great
chieftains of the earth ; and when they die, their bodies are laid apart from
the reft of mankind, in polilhed and coftly tombs, adorned with nice
ftrokes of art, to perpetuate their names—the long train of virtues they fo
highly poflefled—their great learning and eloquence—the fimplicity of
their lives and manners—their faithful difcharge of the various duties of
their religious high office—their contempt of the grandeur and vanities of
this tranfient world—their tendernefs of heart to the cries of the poors
and their Angular modefty and humility, a lhining copy of imitation for
common priefts, and other fpiritual chieftains, to purfue. Thefe fine mo¬
numents are very pleafant to the eye, but honeft men fay that mercenary
writers and artifts do not aft right to belie the dead.

My red beloved friends, fuch is the reputed life and death of thofe high-
feated divine chieftains of the high church 5 your Iharp natural reafon will
difcern the clofe agreement there is between the humility and fimplicity
of their principles and lives, with thofe of the early overfeers of the lowly
divine houfe.’ It is faid that fome great beloved men have an earneft de¬
fire of fending a few of their own high office, to this fide of the broad
water, in order to appoint young beloved men j but we ftrongly fufpeft a
dangerous fnake in the grafs s and efteeming them dead to the true interefts
of religion and liberty, we think they ought to keep them at home, and
even recall their prefent troublefome miffionaries from our fettlements,
and allow us to enjoy our former peace and quiet—We wiffi them to go to
fome poor dark countries, and inftruft the people in the honeft lefibns of
peace, love, and charity ; which they would, if they only aimed at the good
of mankind, and the honour of the fupreme chieftain, according to the
plain copy of the great beloved meflenger and his kind-hearted faithful
fcholars. We wiffi the civil powers would not tempt the religious men’s
virtue by fuch alluring delicious baits, as they propofe to them, and that
all ranks would become frugal and virtuous.

Thu*

44.8 General Obfervations on the North American Indians.

Thus ended my Lecture. The reverend old red pontiff imme¬
diately afked, whether they had the accurfed beings on the other fide
of the water? I told him, I hoped not — but the religious men often
fpoke a ftrong fpeech of evil to thofe they reckoned very bad, and turned
them out of the beloved houfe, to the evil fpirits of darknefs. Upon
which he requefted me to mention any one of the crimes that might
occafion fuch treatment. I told him, “ I had heard of a gentleman,
whole heart did not allow him to love his lady fuftkiently, and file
having by lharp watching difcovered him to give love to another, com¬
plained of it to a great beloved man ■, accordingly, either for the negleft, or
wrong application of his love duty, he was ordered to pay her a confider-
able fum of money—he valuing it more than her, his heart did not allow
him to give fo much : whereupon a lharp fpeech of evil was fpoken againft
him, and by that means he was faid to become accurfed.” My Indian
friend faid, as marriage Ihould beget joy ar.d happincfs, inftead of pain and
mifery, if a couple married blindfold, and could not love each other after¬
wards, it was a crime to continue together, and a virtue to part, and make
a happier choice; and as the white people did not buy their wives after
the manner of the Indians, but received value along with them, in pro¬
portion to their own poffelfions, whatfoever the woman brought with her,
fhe ought to be allowed to take back when they feparated, that her heart
might weigh even, and nothing be fpoiled.—That, in his opinion, fuch
determinations belonged to the law, and not to the great beloved men ; and,
if he underffood me aright, the beloved man threw away the gentleman to
the accurfed beings of darknefs, not for having atted any thing againft the
divine law, but for daring to oppofe the words of his mouth, in imi¬
tation of the firft prefumptuous great beloved man, who fpoiled the fpeech
of the divine meffenger. Many natural, pertinent, and humorous obfer¬
vations, were made by him on what he had heard.

APPENDIX.

A P

P E

N

I

X.

D

ADVICE to STATESMEN;

SHEWING

The advantages of mutual affedtion between Great Britain, and the
North American colonies—A defcription of the Floridas, and the
Miflifippi lands, with their productions—The benefits of coloni¬
zing Georgians, and civilizing the Indians—and the way to make
all the colonies more valuable to the mother country.

M

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JV 3 U ■ . r A i ?. • It 0 1 v CI A

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•’ . '• : j:!i Viom If,

nsnhi

A P P

E N D I

X.

ADVICE

to STATESM

E N.

T HOUGH Great Britain hath been many years inverted with the Milfi-
fipi-pofielfions, and which fhe purchafed at a very high price; little
hath been done to improve them. Every friend to his country and man¬
kind, mull wifh adminiftration to pay a due regard to the ineftimable va¬
lue of the American colonies—which is belt done in engaging the colo-
nifts, by wife and prudent conduft, to exert themfelves to promote
ber intereft in the fame manner they faithfully did, till arbitrary power
affailed their maritime ports, to their grief, and her own immenfe lofs. In
proportion as a mother loves, or hates her children, and ftrives to make
them either happy or miferable, they in the fame degree will exert their
endeavours to make a fuitable return.

Whatever fcheme is unjuft, it is unwife in ftatefmen to form, or at¬
tempt to put in execution. Inftinft moves the brutal creation to defend
their young ones and property at the peril of their lives. The virtue of
Britons will not allow them to do lefs for themfelves and their children.
As Britifh legiftators muft be convinced that honefty is the belt policy, it is to
be hoped they will ftudioufty apply themfelves to promote the general good
of their fellow-fubjedts, and engage the northern colonifts cheerfully to
bend their force in fupplying Great Britain with fuch ftaple commodities
M m m 2 as

APPENDIX.

452

as bountiful nature has given to them, but which through a ftrange kind of
policy, (lie now chiefly purchafes from foreigners, particularly timber and
iron. The North-American trees are better in quality, than thofe which are
brought from the Baltic, and in a far greater variety : and (hips of a proper
conftruftion, might foon carry American timber to England as cheap as fhe
has it from thence The colonifts could build either merchant-men, or men
of war, of any fize, much cheaper than can poflibly be done in. any Eu¬
ropean country, which would always infure them a ready market. French
gold for their Ihips, would be of no difiervice to Great Britain, though
perhaps it might be as difagreeable to her, as the Spanilh gold and filver
was from the hands of the Britilh Americans: however, to confign their
Blips to fome Britilh merchants, would fufficiently filence thofe who might
find their prefent account in oppofmg the public good.

Natural caufes produce natural effedts. They who fow well, reap well ; and
as nature has planted a great plenty of iron ore through the American high
lands, we hope the time will foon come, to allow her to take in fo weighty
a harveft. The confequence is great, and the application ought to be pro¬
portioned to the high value of fo inviting, and complicated an acquifuion.
Their hills not only abound with inexhauflible mines of iron ore, but
lie convenient to navigable rivers; fuch a commodious fituation would
foon enable them to fell it cheaper than Britain can ever expedt from
the Ruffians, who carry it from a diftanee to Peterfburgh, as far as from'
Georgiana on the Miffifippi, to the city of New York. We have been
allured by gentlemen of veracity, that on repeated experiments, they found
the American iron to be equal in goodnefs to that of Ruffia, or Sweden.
Common lenfe diredts Britain to live independent of fuch fupplies, with¬
in her own prodigious empire, and not lay herfelf at the mercy of any
foreign power, left neceffity Ihould compel her a fecond time, to pay as
dear for her left-handed wifdom as fhe did in the year 1703, for Swedilh.
tar in Swedilh bottoms,—which was nearly four hundred per cent, more
than Ihe in a Ihort time paid to the American planters for the like, with
her own manufadtures, to the advantage of her merchants, the employment
of her fhips, and the increafe of her feamen.

If

APPENDIX.

4SJ

If Britain feels a decay of her former American trade, on account of
attempting to introduce among her friendly colonies, illegal and dangerous
innovations, it is high time to retrafl. She hath it yet in her power by a
prudent and maternal conduft to enlarge her trade, to a far greater extent
than it ever attained, by making it the intereft of the northern planters to
faw timber, and work in iron, for the Britilh yards and merchants. She
fhould invite the young, and unfettled families, to remove to the fertile lands
of the Miffifippi, and raife thofe valuable ftaple commodities (he needs moll.
The Americans fay, that, though their hearts burn with a feraphic fire,
for conllitutional bleflings—ever facrcd and inviolable; yet their tender
feelings for the unhappy fituation of their free-minded brethren in Great
Britain and Ireland, are by fympathy, equal to their own for the fickened
condition of their mourning provinces — that the fraternal tye will al¬
ways incline their hearts to promote their welfare, if inftead of endea¬
vouring to opprefs them, they make them fuch a return as brethren
might juflly expeft on the like interefbing occafion. If Britifh le-
giflators defign to promote the true interefts of their country, they will
pay a fteady regard to the real channel of her great wealth and power,
— adopt fuch meafures, as wifdom and honelty readily diredt to, and
endeavour to difpel thofe uneafinefles from the hearts of all the American
colonifts, produced by the unjuft and invidious reprefentations of men, whofe
garb and ftation ought to have kept them, even from the fufpicion of
ever fomenting fo dangerous a controverfy..

Great Britain, on account of her extenfive American pofleflions, might
foon and eafily repair her decayed trade, and increafe it beyond conception,,
on a fure and permanent foundation, by upright meafures. The oppofite
means to whatfoever caufed its decay, would gradually recover it—But when
once the channel of trade is (lopped by violent methods, it is exceedingly
diflicult to make it flow again in its former cheerful courfe. Force can.
never eflfefl it, for that (he utterly contemns. No miftrefs is more fagacious
and coy. She malt firft be courted, and afterward treated kindly : if folly
ufesany violence, or makes any material breach of good, faith to her, (he foon
flies, and never returns, unlefs (he is ftrongly invited back, and can reafon-
ably hope for better ufage. A powerful maritime (late may gain new co¬
lonies by the fword, but can never fettle and continue fuch extenfive ones
as the American, by force of arms,—except over people ofdaftardly fpirits,

7 and.

454

APPEND

X.

and in the enfeebling regions of the fouth. Even there, when the fprings
of the date-machine are any confiderable time over-ftretched, the fharp
feelings of the people naturally roufe, and force them to conquer their
timorous difpofition, and exert their powers to break the torturing wheels,
and free themfelves of their pains. The voice of nature is againft tyranny.
It execrates the abettors, and conligns them to punilhment.

As the lands in Virginia, and Maryland, are greatly exhaufted by raifing
that impoverifliing weed, tobacco,—Great Britain may expeft to feel a
gradual decay of that valuable branch of trade, in proportion to the
increafe of the people in thofe provinces, unlefs new colonies are
fettled on the MiiTifippi. Eefides this craft, there is not a fufficient

fpace of fertile land in North America, to invite planters to raife that
llaple commodity. Though the Ohio fettlements are now numerous,
and increafing fall, the feeders will only confult their own cafe, as
nature is there very prolific of every convenience of life; except go¬
vernment wifely encourages them to raife fuch products as would fuit
the mother-country, and reward them for their labour. Were proper
meafures adopted, the defire of gain would induce them to plant
with the utmoft affiduity: and fmiling induftry would foon beget a
fpirit of emulation among the planters, prompting each to excel his
neighbour in the annual quantity and good quality of thofe ftaple com¬
modities they were invited to fix upon. The vaft tracts of fertile woods,
which are now lhamefully allowed to be only the haunts of wild beafts,
and wolfifh favages feeking for prey, might far eafier be turned into
valuable fine plantations by bounties, than the marfhes and barren lands in
Britain were, into their prefent fiourifhing condition, by the repeated en¬
couragements of the Royal Society, and of parliament. Any thing that
promotes greatly the public good, ought always to be done at the expence
of the public; otherwife it will never be done, efpecially by labouring in¬
dividuals. Charity begins at home, and every one’s domeftic affairs de¬
mand his clofe attention. To preferve the Ohio lands, coft Great Britain,
and our colonies in particular, a river of blood, in confequence of the
blindnefs and obltinacy of a haughty general. A legal conflitutional
form of government, ought immediately to be eftablifhed there, both for
the general welfare, and preventing evils that may reafonably be expefted
to grow up among a remote, and numerous body of people,—hardy and
7 warlike.

APPENDIX.

45*

warlike,—without any public religion or civil law,—in a healthful climate,
and: very extenfive and fertile country.

Young glittering courtiers may think their merit exceedingly depre¬
ciated, to have the offer of the Ohio government conferred on either
of them—os it is now chiefly inhabited by long-legged, tawny hunters,,
who are clothed in winter with the fhaggy (kins of wild beads, and
are utterly unlearned’ in the polifhed art of fmiling, when their hearts
are difpleafed at the rafh conduct of high-headed rulers: but unlefs they
learned the difficult lefl'on, “ know thyfelf,” and were endued with-
a frank open fpirit, experience would foon convince them that they were
unequal to the talk of governing, or- inducing the people to promote the
general good of the community. The court fophiftry of extending the
prerogative of the crown, will never do in America—Nothing will pleafe.
the inhabitants, but the old conftitutional laws of Britain. Colonel
Philip Skene, who gained wreaths of laurel under General Johnfon, and
now lives at Lake Champlain, is highly efteemed in the extenfive circle of his.
acquaintance, and revered by all his favage neighbours, becaufe in him.
is difplayed the intrepid warrior, and the open friend to all.—Thefe, to¬
gether with his knowledge of agriculture, render him as proper a perfon as
any for the office—and it.is to be wifhed that the government would ap¬
point him to prefide over the valuable dillrict or Ohio, and he think proper
to accept it. Such a meafure could not fail of adding greatly to the
true interefts of Great-Britain and her colonies: thus, the prefent inha¬
bitants would be incited to promote the public good,, and multitudes
of the northern people would remove to fettle thofe fruitful lands,
and cheerfully apply themfelves in raifing fuch commodities,, as would
prove beneficial to the community. Though the Ohio is far dif>
tant from any navigable port, yet we have full proof that every article
of luxury will bear great expcnce for its culture, carriage by land, and
freight by water : and, as the fertility of. the foil by the dream and
fmall branches of the Miflifippi, is well known through North America,
and the colonids cannot remove there with their live dock, through the
eountry of the mifchievous Mufkohge; doubtlefs numbers of indudrious
families would come by the Ohio, and foon enrich themfelves by in-
ereafing the riches of the public.

Any

APPENDIX.

456

Any European Hate, except Great Britain, would at once improve their
acquifitions, taken and purchafed by an immenfe quantity of blood and trea-
fure, and turn them to the public benefit. At the end of the late war, the
miniftry, and their adherents, held up Eaft and Weft Florida before
the eyes of the public, as greatly fuperior cothofe Weft-India i(lands, which
Spain and France were to receive back in exchange. The illands however
are rich, and annually add to the wealth and ftrength of thole refpeflivc
powers : while Eaft Florida, is the only place of that extenfive and valu¬
able traft ceded to us, that we have any way improved; and this is little
more than a negative good to our other colonies, in preventing their ne¬
groes from flickering in that dreary country, under the proteftion of Fort St.
Auguftine. The province is a large peninfula, confifting chiefly of fandy
barrens-, level four ground, abounding with tufifucksj here and there is
fome light mixt land but a number of low fwamps, with very un-
-wholefome water in general. In proportion as it is cleared, and a free
circulation of air is produced, to difpel the noxious vapours that float
over the furface of this low country, it may become more healthful; though
any where out of the influence of the fea air, the inhabitants will be liable
to fevers and agues. The favourable accounts our military officers gave of
the pure wholefome air of St. Auguftine, are very juft, when they com¬
pare it with that of the fand burning Penfacola, and the low ftagnated Mo-
bille: St. Auguftine Hands on a pleafant hill, at the conflux of two fait
water rivers, overlooking the land from three angles of the caftle,
and down the found, to the ocean. Their relation of the natural ad¬
vantages of this country, could extend no farther than their marches
reached. I formerly went volunteer, about fix hundred miles through
the country, with a great body of Indians againft this place * and we ranged
the woods to a great extent. The trafts we did not reach, we got full in¬
formation of, by feveral of the Mulkohge then with us, who had a tho¬
rough knowledge, on account of the long continued excurfions they
■made through the country in queft of the Florida Indians 5 and even
after they drove them into the illands of Florida, to live on filh, among
clouds of mufketoes. The method thefe Indians took to keep off thofe tor¬
menting inlefts, as their fafety would not allow them to make a fire, left
the fmoke Ihould guide their watchful enemies to furprife them, was, by-
anointing their bodies with rank filh oil, mixed with the juice or allies of
indigo. This perfume, and its effluvia, kept off from them every kind of

inletft.

APPENDIX.

457

snfe&. The Indians likewife informed me, that when they went to war
againft: the Floridians, they carried their cyprefs bark canoes from the head
of St. John’s black river, only about half a mile, when they launched them
again into a deep river, which led down to a multitude of i(lands to the
N. W. of Cape Florida.

As this colony is inconteftably much better fituatcd for trade than Weft
Florida, or the Miffifippi lands, it is furprifing that Britain does not improve
the opportunity which offers, by adding to thefe unhealthy low grounds a fuf-
ficient quantity of wafte high land to enable the fettlers, and their families, to
raife thofe ftaples {he wants. The Mulkohge who claim it, might be offered,
and they would accept, what it feems to be worth in its wild ftate. Juftice to
ourfelves and neighbours, condemns the fhortening the planter’s day*, by
confining their induftrious families to unhealthy low lands, when nature invites
them to come out, to enjoy her bountiful gifts of health and wealth, where
only favage beafts prey on one another, and the bloodier two-footed favages,
ramble about to prey on them, or whatfoever falls in their way. Under thele,
and other preffing circumftances of a fimilar nature, does this part of Ame¬
rica now labour. A weft north-weft courfe from the upper parts of Georgia
to the Miffifippi, would contain more fertile lands than are in all our colonies
on the continent, eaftward. As mod of thefe colonies abound with frugal
and induftrious people, who are increafing very faft, and every year crowd¬
ing more clofely together on exhaufted land, our rulers ought not to allow
fo mifchievous and dangerous a body as the Mufkohge to ingrofs this vaft
foreft, moftly for wild beafts. This haughty nation is direfUy in the way
of our valuable fouthern colonies, and will check them from rifing to half
the height of perfeftion, which the favourabknefs of the foil and climate
allow, unlefs we give them fevere correftion, or drive them over the Miffi¬
fippi, the firft time they renew their afts of hoftility againft us, without
fufficient retaliation. At prefent. Weft Florida is nothing but an ex¬
pence to the public.—The name amufes indeed, at a diftance •, but were it
duly extended and fettled, it would become very valuable to Great Bri¬
tain •, and Penfacola harbour would be then ferviceable alfo in a time of war
with Spain, being in the gulph of Florida, and near to Cuba. Mobille 'isa
black trifle. Its garrifon, and that at Penfacola, cannot be properly fupplied
by their French neighbours though at a moft exorbitant price : and, on ac-

APPEND

X.

45^

count of our own padive conduct, the Mufkohge will not allow the mi-
habitants of Georgia to drive cattle to thofe places for the ufe of the fol-
diers. Neither can the northern merchant-men fupply them with fait and
frefh provifions, but at a very unequal hazard ; for the gulph dream would
oblige them to fail along the Cuba fliore, where they would be likely ta
be feized by the Spanifh guarda codas, as have many fine American veflels
on the falfe pretence of fmuggling, and which, ’by a drange kind of
policy, they have been allowed to keep as legal prizes. In brief, unlefs
Great Britain enlarges both Ead and Wed Florida to a proper extent*
and adopts other encouraging meafures, for raifing thofe daple commo¬
dities which die purchafes from foreigners, the fagacious public mud be
convinced, that the opportunity of adding to her annual expences, by pay-
ing troops, and maintaining garrifons, to guard a narrow dip of barren
land-hills, and a trad of low grave-yards, is not an equivalent for thofe va-.
luable imp.royed iflands our enemies received in exchange for them.

We will now proceed to the Miflifippi, and that great extent of territory*
which Great Britain alfo owns by exchange ; and fhew the quality of thofe
lands, and how far they may really benefit her, by adive and prudent ma¬
nagement. As in. Florida, fo to. a great didance from, the fliore of the
gulph, the lands generally confid of burning .land, and are uninhabitable, or-
of wet ground, and very unhealthy. But, a little beyond this dreary defart,
are many level fpots very fertile, and which would fuit people who are ufed
to a low fituation, and prove very valuable, both to planters, and the inha¬
bitants of a trading town. As the river runs from north to foutb, the air.
is exceedingly pure in the high lands of this extenfive trad. The foil is.
generally very rich; and,, to the didance of fix hundred miles up, from the
low lands of the fea.coad, it is as happy a climate as any under heaven,,
quite free from the extremities of heat and cold. Any produd of the-
fame clime from 31 to 45 degrees N. L. might be raifed here in the greated.
perfedion, to the great profit of the planter and the public. Many thou—
fends of us would heartily rejoice to fee adminidration behave as wile men—
leave their mean, or mad policy, and promote a fpirit of emigration among;
the families of the crowded northern colonies. Thus the indudrious poor-
in Britain, would find more employ in manufadufts ; and the public would,
receive from their, brethren, what they now purchafe chiefly from rival,
powers with gold and filver, with the balance of trade greatly againd them.

J. This

APPEND

X.

459

This fine country, Georgiana, invites Great Britain to fraile upon it,
and in return to receive its grateful tribute of tobacco, hemp, filk, flax,
cotton, indigo, wine and tea, in plenty, befides many other valuable pro-
dudls. Hops grow wild on the Miflifippi—and the tobacco raifed at the
Nahchee old fettlement, was efteemed of fuperior quality to any belonging
France. The lands on the extenfive ramifications of the Miflifippi lands are
capable of producing the like. All kind of vegetables planted, or fowed
in their fields, gardens, and orchards, either for profit or pleafure, would
grow to greater perfeftion, and with lefs art and labour, in this tract, than
any in Europe, fo fruitful is the foil, and favourable the climate. As
the favages live in a direft line between our northern colonies, and
this, to the diftance of four hundred miles above New Orleans; our nor¬
thern people will be obliged to make a winding courfe by the Ohio, before
they can reach it with their families and necefiary moveables •, which Ihews
that it requires public fpirit, and the fupport of government to fettle a
flourilhing colony here. The two Floridas, and this, which to the great
lofs of the nation, lie fhamefully neglefted, are the only places in the Bri-
tifh empire, from whence fhe can receive a fufficient fupply of thofe flaples
fhe wants. The profperity, and even the welfare of Great Britain, depends
on fundry accounts, in a high degree, on improving thefe valuable and
dear bought acquifitions; and we hope her eyes will be opened foon, and
her hands ftretched out to do it — fhe will provide for the necefiities
of her own poor at home, by the very means that would employ a multi¬
tude of ufelefs people in agriculture here, and bring the favages into a pro¬
bable way of being civilized, and becoming chriftians, by contrafling their
circle of three thoufand miles, and turning them from a lonely hunt of
wild beafts, to the various good purpofes of fociety. Should Great Britain
duly exert herfelf as the value of this place requires, by the afliftanceof our
old Chikkafah allies, the other Indian nations would be forced to purfue
their true intereft, by living peaceably with us; and be foon enticed to be¬
come very fervjceable both to our planters, and the enlargement of trade.

As the Miflifippi Indians are not likely to be foon corrupted by the haughty
fliff Spaniards, and are moftly of a traflable difpofition, confequently they
might be civilized, and their wants fo greatly extended as to demand every
kind of Britifh manufaftures, in imitation of their friendly, induftrious, and
opulent neighbours: and, as the fmall profits of hunting would not be fuf¬
ficient to purchnfe a variety of ftich new necefiaries, they might be eafily
N n n a induced

appendix.

460

induced to cultivate thofe commodities that would beft anfwer their de¬
mands. Railing of filk, would extremely well agree with them, on ac¬
count of its eafy procefs 5 mulberry trees grow fpontaneoufly to a confider-
able height here,, and in the low lands through all our fouthern colonies ;
which, were they topped, and tranfplanted near to the houfes, would ferve
to feed the filk worms with their leaves. The eafy culture of this valuable
commodity, filk, would not hinder the planter from attending the inviting
produfts of the field. Thus the Indians would be gently led oUt of their
uncultivated ftate of nature, and a fair opportunity would be given to dif-
creet, fenfible and pious teachers to inftruft. them in'die plain, and eafy:
principles of chriftianity. . !

The prodigious number of fertile hills lying near Ibme of the large-
ftreams, and among the numberlefs fmaller branches of the Miffifippi,
from 33 to 37 degrees N. L. (and likewife in the two Floridas) are as
well adapted by nature, for producing different forts of wine, as any place
whatever. The high lands naturally abound with a variety, of wine grapes :
if therefore thefe extenfive lands were fettled, and planters met witli due-
encouragement, Great Britain in a few years might purchafe here, with
her own manufaftures, a fufficient fupply of as good wines as file buys
from her dangerous rival France, at a great difadvantage of trade, or even
from Portugal. The level lands here, as in other countries, are badly
watered j which therefore would abfolutely require the colony to be ex¬
tended fix hundred miles up the Mifilfippi, to anfwer the main defign of
fettling it. The lands in our northern colonies are too much exhaufted.
to raife a fufficient quantity of. hemp for their own confumption: and in¬
digo does not grow to the north of Cape Fear river,, in North Carolina, on
account of the coldnefs of the climate. And as it grows only in rich lands,
it is liable to be devoured the fecond year by fwarms of, grafshoppers,
and its roots are of fo penetrating a nature, as not only to impoveriffi the
ground,, but requires more new fertile land than the planters can allow;
fo that in a ffiort time, that produft will ceafe of courfe in South Caro¬
lina, and Georgia. This favourable country will fupply that growing de-
feft. In the Carolina*, and along the fea-ccaft to the Miffifippi, tea
grows fpontaneoufly; and doubtlefs, if the Eaft-lndia tea was tranfplanted
into thofe colonies, it would grow, as well as in the eaftern regions of the
fame latitude. The chief point confifls in curing it well: but foreigners,
or experience, would foon overcome that difficulty by due encouragement..
Some years ago, a gentleman of South Carolina told me he raifed.fome.

1. of,

APPENDIX.

461

of the Eaft-India tea, and it grew extremely well. He faid, he had it
cured in a copper kettle, well covered, and fixed in a common pot with
water, which boiled three hours, was then taken out, and allowed to cool
before they opened its and that when the veffel was not filled with the
leaves, they curled in the fame manner as the Eaft-India weed imported
at a great lofs of men and money, and better tailed.

I am-well acquainted with near two thoufand miles along the American
continent, and- have frequently been in the remote woods •, but the quantity
of fertile lands, in all that vail ipace, exclufive of what ought to be added-
to Eaft and Weft-Florida, feems to bear only a fmall 1 proportion to thofe be¬
tween the Miffifippi and Mobille-river, with its N. W. branches, which
run about thirty miles north of the Chikkafah country, and intermix with
pleafant branches of the great Cheerake river. In fettling the two Floridas,
and the Miififippi-lands, adminiftration Ihould not fuffer them to be mono¬
polized—nor the people to be clafied and treated as ilaves—Let them have-
a conilitudonal form of government, the inhabitants will be cheerful, and'
every thing will be profperous. The country promifes to yield as plentiful-
harvefts of the moft valuable produ£tions, as can be wiffied.

There is a-number of extenfive and fertile Savannas, or naturally clear
land, between the Mifiifippi and the weftern branches of Mobille river.
They begin about two hundred and fifty miles above the low lands of the
eoaft;and are interfperfed with the woods to a great difiance, probably three
hundred miles. The inland parts are unknown to any but the Indians and
the Englilh traders — the warlike Chikkafah were fo dreadful to the
French, that even their fleet of large trading boats avoided the eaftern
fide of the Miffifippi, or near this fhore under a high point of land, for the
Ipace of two hundred leagues: fo that, beyond what they barely faw from
their boats, their accounts of the interior parts of this extenfive country,
are mere conjedjures. The foil of the clear land, generally confifts of loofe
rich mould to a confiderable depth, and either a kind of chalk, or marl,
underneath. We frequently find the grafs with its feeded tops as high as
our heads, when on horfe-back, and very likely it would bear mowing,
three or four times in one feal'on.. As the Indians gather their wild hemp, in
lome of thefe open fertile lands, both it and our hemp would grow to admi¬
ration, with moderate tillage : and fo would tobacco, indigo, cotton, and flax,
in perfeftion. If Great-Britain exerts herfelf in carneft, with an helping hand ■

t®

A P -P E N D I X.

462

to this new colony j granting only for eight years, an equal bounty with that
Ihe gave to the bleak and barren fettlement of Nova Scotia, Ihe would receive
at the expiration of that period, in return, for her favours, an abundant va¬
riety of valuable raw materials, for employing a vaft multitude of her poor
at home, as well as luxurious productions, for her own confumptlon, and
that of foreigners ; greatly increafe the public revenue •, deftroy the fale of
■French wines, and tobacco, the chief finews of their ftate •, render herfelf
independent of foreign countries—and make millions of people eafy and
happy, on both Tides of the broad water, by mutual induftry, and recipro¬
cal offices pf friendlhip.

If Great Britain thus wifely improves the natural advantages of North-
America, ihe will foon reap fufficient fruit for her expences of cultivating it:
but (he muft certainly be a lofer, in proportion to any unconftitutional
attempt excited by falfe views, againft the natural rights and chartered pri¬
vileges of the colonifts. We now and then fee the lamentable power
that illiberal prejudices and felf-intereft obtain over gentlemen of learning,
and judgment, by transforming them from honeft, wife men, into dan¬
gerous political incendiaries. Whether the colonifts are large in their
Britifh imports, or are forced to more domeftic frugality on account of the
late fevere reftraints upon their trade, thefe fophifts declare them to be rivals
in trade, and devote them to deftruction. The colonifts however generally
proportion their expences 10 the annual income of their pofieffions. If they
gain but a little by trade, and labour, they fpend as little in luxuries. At
the very word, they can keep the wolf of want from their doors. They
are fo happily fituated, as to have far lefs real demands for gold and filver
th^i any other civilized, increafing body of people. When they received
thofe metals abroad by their Spanifh trade, they foon remitted them to Great
Britain; and they are now quite eafy, if Ihe chules to ftrike her own pocket
very hard, in order to hurt them. Our political phyficians preferibe a
ftrange fort of means and regimen to heal the wounds of the body politic;
aflfuredly they will tear them open, and make them bleed frefh again, and
more than ever. It is a pity, that before they thought of hunger and phle¬
botomy for the fuppofed unfound Americans, they had not duly confidered
the folid reafonings and unanfwerable arguments of the very worthy, upright
patriot, Jpbn Dickenfon, Efq; and other American gentlemen, and the
fpeeches and publications of fome patriots at home. Smollett’s obfervations
are alfo very pertinent—“ The natives of New-England acquired great glory

APPENOii. 4 6 >

from the fuccefs of this enterprize againft Louilbourg. Britain, which had
in fome inftances behaved like a ftepmother to her own colonies, was now
convinced of their importance; and treated thofe as brethren whom fee had
too long confidered as aliens and rivals. Circumftanced as the nation is, the
legi{lature cannot too tenderly cherilh the interefts of the Britifh plantations irf
America. They are inhabited by a brave, hardy-, induftrious people, ani¬
mated with an aflive fpirit of commerce, infpired with a-noble zeal for li¬
berty and independence. The trade of Great-Britain, clogged with heavy
taxes and impofitions, has for fome time languilhed in many valuable
branches. The French have underfold our cloths, and fpoiled our
markets in the Levant. Spain is no longer fupplied as ufual with the com¬
modities of England : the exports to Germany mull be confrderably dimi--
nilhed by the mifunderftanding between Great Britain and the houfe of Au--
ftria;—confequently her greateft refource mult be in her communication;
with her own colonies, which confume her manufaflures, and make im-
menfe returns in fugar, rum, tobacco, filh, timber, naval (lores, iron, furs,
drugs, rice, and indigo. The fouthern plantations likewife produce filk ; and'
with due encouragement might furnifb every thing that could be expe&ed
from the molt fertile foil and the happieft climate. The continent of
North America, if properly cultivated, will prove an inexhauftible fund of
wealth and ftrength to Great Britain; and perhaps it may become the laft
afylum of Britifh liberty, when - the nation is enflaved by domeftic
defpotifm or foreign dominion; when her fubftance is wafted, her fpiric
broke, and the laws and conftitution of England are no more : then thofe'
colonies fent off by our fathers may receive and entertain their fons as
haplefs exiles and ruined refugees,” ‘

Evil-minded writers depreciate thofe Americans moft, who ftand moll
in their way. Could their enemies fubjugate them, they might then put
their hands in their pockets with impunity, ufe fcorpion-whips on their'
backs at pleafure, and eftablifh the moft delicious pare of the-Jewifh law,'
tithes, through the whole continent*

The prefent Quixote fcheme evidently feems to fetterthe Britifh Americans, ■
at all events, and force them to pay for their fetters; to compel them to main¬
tain a great body of imperious red coats to rule over them, after the man¬
ner of the miferable fons of Hibernia, without allowing them any militia,
even on their barriers: otherwife our rulers think that, about twenty

APPENDIX.

04

-years hence, the quick increafe of the §ricifh Americans, will render the
execution of their fcheme impracticable. Rather than let them be free and
happy, they are for reducing them, in effed, to poverty and a date of (li¬
very. However, if they conjure right, and even allowing them that fuccefs
they pirn?for, it cannot well be fuppofed that fuch vaft multitudes of Britifh
I'ubjefts would be fo inured to flavery, in the Ihort (face of twenty years,
•but that they would cut off their chains, and fet themfclvcs free: §ome
Itatefmen have (hewn themfelves to be no lefs drangers to the generous prin¬
ciples of the conftitution, and feelings of humanity, than they are to the ex¬
traordinary martial abilities of the American provincials, efpecially in the
wodds, which are continued almod through all our colonies, and would prove
a grave-yard to a great army of regular troops. Tame Frenchmen might fub-
mit to the yoke intended—But Britons, of revolution-principles, eipecially
the Americans, contemn it and all its fflppqrters, far beyond the. power of lan¬
guage to exprefs. Were they impoverilhed, and fubjugated, their own bra¬
very would foon fet them free from tyranny. When fufferings become (harp,
brave men always make defperate efforts, in proportion to their pain. And
the annals of the world uniformly declare, that no enemies are fo defpe¬
rate and bitter, as defpifed, abufed, and perfecuted friends.

They who are in the lead acquainted with the principles of our colo-
nids, can truly teftify their univerfal attachment to thp prefent line of
Brunfwick; and that their hearts are faithful to the real honour and bed
intered of their king and country, whole intereds cannot be divided.
And we hope, that they who have the chief direction of public affairs,
will foon cherifh that difpofuion, fo peculiar to free-minded Britons;
and that condign punifhment will be inflifted on thofe who endeavour to
check it, and to foment a civil war. Thus, a profitable intercourfe, a lad¬
ing peace, and perpetual friend(hip, will continue between the honed parent
and her grateful colonies, who will not fail to be j ud to her, to themfelves,
and to their poderity.

FINIS.

.

• 4 ».

>